Time and place
Tanzania
These dates mark the focus of this case, not the full history of the place or its communities.
Connected worlds · Exchange · Tanzania
Kilwa: a port seen through its material traces
1200 CE–1600 CE (focus interval)
How can an object connect places without drawing a voyage?
Chinese porcelain and Persian earthenware are among the material traces recorded at Kilwa. Imported wares help study a port’s connections, but an object alone cannot identify a merchant or prove a direct voyage.
Research draft · the main interpretation still needs independent reviewPage published · Source packet updated
At a glance
- Place
- Tanzania
- Dates · case focus
- 1200 CE–1600 CE (focus interval)These dates mark the focus of this case, not the full history of the place or its communities.
- The question
- How can an object connect places without drawing a voyage?
- Key finding
- Kilwa traded across the Indian Ocean; the heritage account records Chinese porcelain and Persian earthenware among material traces. Read the evidence ↓
- Important limit
- An imported object does not establish a direct voyage, a named merchant or an uninterrupted trading route.
Where this case belongs
Tanzania · 1200 CE–1600 CE (focus interval)
These points locate named sites or parts of a listed property. They show geographic references, not ancient borders or excavation plans. They make no claim about present-day sovereignty.
● Published reference point. Natural Earth public-domain land outline. No political boundaries are shown. The map does not capture scrolling.
Locations, precision and sources (1)
- Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani
Published heritage component reference; not excavation geometry or ancient territorial boundary. Present-day geographic reference for the named site/component; does not date an occupation or establish a territory.
-8.9578°, 39.5228° · Coordinate source ↗
Source passage and date
144-001 · Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani · United Republic of Tanzania · S8 57 28.00 E39 31 22.00
Coordinate source checked 2026-10-27.
What this case covers
What was found
Kilwa traded across the Indian Ocean; the heritage account records Chinese porcelain and Persian earthenware among material traces.
What it may tell us
Excavated pottery and a museum-held object need their own findspot, dating and collection context.
Alternative explanations and limits
An imported object does not establish a direct voyage, a named merchant or an uninterrupted trading route.
Access and review notes
The 2016 excavation, older fieldwork and museum collection must be kept distinct. Reused typologies are not new observations, and a museum’s own and partner pages do not become separate source groups. Additional image and community-applicability decisions remain open.
Read the evidence
Source links apply to specific claims. Several links can lead back to the same study. Read what each source supports.
Kilwa traded across the Indian Ocean; the heritage account records Chinese porcelain and Persian earthenware among material traces.
What remains uncertain
An imported object does not establish a direct voyage, a named merchant or an uninterrupted trading route.
Method and source passage
Institutional primary description; introductory synthesis
Description and statement of Outstanding Universal Value
The 2016 KK 001 excavation identifies Persian late sgraffiato and blue/green wares alongside Chinese Qingbai and celadon in the post-1100 sequence.
What remains uncertain
Ceramic types supply general dating estimates; this publication reports planned/ongoing radiocarbon work, not final calibrated dates.
Method and source passage
Primary research or collection account; access and inference limits apply
Printed pp.280–284; section 4 The 2016 excavations, Table 1, p.282 ceramic discussion; section 5 dating programme
Packed-earth floors and wattle-and-daub structures underlie later coral-built remains, and early import quantities were low.
What remains uncertain
One trench is a local sequence. Imported pottery does not prove settlers founded the town.
Method and source passage
Primary research or collection account; access and inference limits apply
Printed pp.280–284; section 4 The 2016 excavations, Table 1, p.282 ceramic discussion; section 5 dating programme
A BIEA archive record ties one Chinese blue-and-white sherd to Makutani Building V, while the museum collection distinguishes imported and local pottery.
What remains uncertain
Do not treat collection-title dating as secure when the same metadata marks the period uncertain.
Method and source passage
Primary research or collection account; access and inference limits apply
Object 1212362: title, Access and Rights, Content and Subject Information; Description and Details: registration OA+.916
Questions that remain
- How can an object connect places without drawing a voyage?
- Which independent evidence would refine or challenge this account?
Exchange
Excavated pottery and a museum-held object need their own findspot, dating and collection context.
Limit: An imported object does not establish a direct voyage, a named merchant or an uninterrupted trading route.
UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Kilwa ↓Exchange and contexts
The 2016 KK 001 excavation identifies Persian late sgraffiato and blue/green wares alongside Chinese Qingbai and celadon in the post-1100 sequence.
Limit: Ceramic types supply general dating estimates; this publication reports planned/ongoing radiocarbon work, not final calibrated dates.
Wynne-Jones, Horton, Fleisher & Olsen (2018): Dating Kilwa Kisiwani ↓Earlier occupation
Packed-earth floors and wattle-and-daub structures underlie later coral-built remains, and early import quantities were low.
Limit: One trench is a local sequence. Imported pottery does not prove settlers founded the town.
Wynne-Jones, Horton, Fleisher & Olsen (2018): Dating Kilwa Kisiwani ↓Object provenance
A BIEA archive record ties one Chinese blue-and-white sherd to Makutani Building V, while the museum collection distinguishes imported and local pottery.
Limit: Do not treat collection-title dating as secure when the same metadata marks the period uncertain.
BIEA Kilwa archive: blue-and-white rim sherd, Makutani Building V ↓British Museum: Kilwa pot sherds, OA+.916 (museum partner record) ↓Sources you can inspect
UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Kilwa ↗
Kilwa traded across the Indian Ocean; the heritage account records Chinese porcelain and Persian earthenware among material traces.
- Passage or section
- Description and statement of Outstanding Universal Value
Access and source overlap
Institutional primary web account inspected 27 October 2026; no fieldwork or independent peer review claimed
Several links may describe the same research. Shared authors or data can limit how much independent confirmation they provide.
Wynne-Jones, Horton, Fleisher & Olsen (2018): Dating Kilwa Kisiwani ↗
KK001 excavation reports Persian and Chinese ceramic types; dating remained an ongoing programme in this publication.
- Passage or section
- Printed pp.280–284; section 4 The 2016 excavations, Table 1, p.282 ceramic discussion; section 5 dating programme
Access and source overlap
Primary excavation chapter inspected, printed pp.277–285; methods, Table 1 and pottery/chronology discussion read
Several links may describe the same research. Shared authors or data can limit how much independent confirmation they provide.
BIEA Kilwa archive: blue-and-white rim sherd, Makutani Building V ↗
Archive identifies a Chinese blue-and-white sherd and its Makutani context.
- Passage or section
- Object 1212362: title, Access and Rights, Content and Subject Information
Access and source overlap
Full digital-object metadata, location and rights inspected; original image link resolved
Several links may describe the same research. Shared authors or data can limit how much independent confirmation they provide.
British Museum: Kilwa pot sherds, OA+.916 (museum partner record) ↗
Museum distinguishes Chinese celadon, other Middle Eastern wares with qualified origin, and locally made pottery.
- Passage or section
- Description and Details: registration OA+.916
Access and source overlap
Museum-authored partner description and object metadata inspected; direct BM endpoint was not relied upon
Several links may describe the same research. Shared authors or data can limit how much independent confirmation they provide.