project

Mapping Africa’s Endangered Archaeological Sites and Monuments (MAEASaM)

1 October 2020 - 1 January 2023

PI/s in Exeter: Professor Timothy Insoll FBA

Research partners: Professor Paul Lane, University of Cambridge (PI) and co-investigators at the Universities of London, York, Uppsala, Witwatersrand, and the British Institute in Eastern Africa

Funding awarded: £ 246,956

Sponsor(s): ARCADIA. A charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin

Project webpage(s)

Mapping Africa’s Endangered Archaeological Sites and Monuments (MAEASaM)

About the research

Based in the University of Cambridge, and with co-investigators in the Universities of Exeter, London, York, Uppsala, Witwatersrand, and the British Institute in Eastern Africa, the MAEASaM project (October 2020 to February 2024) aims to identify and document endangered archaeological heritage sites across Africa using a combination of remote sensing, records-based research and selective archaeological surveys. It will make records of these sites available in an Open Access geospatial relational database tailored for different interest groups and stakeholders. Past, present and potential future threats to these sites will be identified and assessed, and approaches to enhancing long-term site protection measures and new management policies will be developed with the project’s Africa-based partners and collaborators. The project will aim to ensure long-term sustainability of the mapping and monitoring components through targeted training of in-country collaborators and other heritage stakeholders. MAEASaM will focus its activities on eight countries in Africa. These are Mali, Senegal, the Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Botswana. They have been selected to provide a cross-section of different site types and conditions, the diversity of threats to archaeological sites, in-country needs and capacity, and data availability. The CfIA focus is on Ethiopia.