An investigation into stone structures and earthworks of Bondo division, lake Victoria basin

Abstract

This study is an investigation into Bondo stone structures and earth works in Northern Kavirondo. The objectives of this research include detailed description of the structures, their location and possible builders to Thimlich complex site in South Nyanza. To establish the builders of these stone structures, the, current study capitalises on a corpus of ceramic material recovered through surface collections and excavations. It utilises their potential attributes and attribute combinations to cover several aspects of ceramic characterisation. The interpretation of the data is based on the idea that similarities or dissimilarities of ceramic attributes from one group to another are proportional to the degree of interaction between them or are a reflection of cultural group affiliations. Comparative analysis has been important in establishing similarities or dissimilarities in both architectural evidence and ceramic attributes between the sites. Through such studies, it has been established that most of the stone structures are locatedon hilly areas mainly for security purposes while their construction and maintenance was facilitated by the availability of natural resources such as loose surface volcanic gneiss rocks. Good drainage and water sources were important factors in the choice of site location. The stone structures in Bondo and Thiralich regions exhibit similar architectural characteristics indicating one construction tradition widely spread along the eastern side of Lake Victoria basin from Northern Kavirondo to South Nyanza District. This study has established that the makers of knotted strip and composite roulette decorated pottery were the occupants of Thimlich and Bondo Ohingni during the recent Iron Age period. These occupants had one cultural tradition as opposed to different cultural backgrounds such as previously suggested by some scholars on the basis of oral history. The limitations of this study calls for excavations to recover charcoal samples for carbon 14 dating of the site. Further archaeological investigation into the sources of clay using xeroradiography is required to clarify any exchange of vessel forms between the sites. An assessment of the structures by~~narchitect an~ more archaeological survey is necessary