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| Excavated skeleton-Picture By Doreen Nawa |
By DOREEN NAWA
NATIONAL
Heritage Conservation Commission (NHCC) Archaeologists have excavated a
skeleton of a woman in her early 30s at Ing’ombe Illede in Chirundu District.
Speaking in
an interview yesterday, NHCC Public Relations Manager Isaac Kanguya the
skeleton was found with beads around the neck and metal bracelet a sign of
being a rich woman. She is believed to have lived between the periods 700 to
1100AD.
Mr Kanguya
said the discovery is a milestone in Zambia’s history and has added value to the
Ing’ombe Illede historical site.
“What makes
the discovery important is that it has been done by Zambian archaeologists all
working under NHCC. Many people interpret Ing’ombe illede only as a ‘sleeping
cow’ but the site has proved that it has a lot to offer to both local and
international tourists,” Mr Kanguya said.
Mr Kanguya
said the skeleton was found in a squatting position, a posture the dead were
buried in at that time.
He said
during the excavation of the site, two burial grounds were discovered, one
containing a skeleton buried with copper ornaments, bracelets and beads and the
other only containing a skeleton.
He said the
existence of the two different graves proves that social stratification existed
at that time at the site.
Mr Kanguya
said the site is thought to have been a small commercial state or principality
whose chief item of trade was salt.
Items of
trade believed to have been common at IIng’ombe illede site also include
textile, copper ore, ceramics and gold.
Ing’ombe
Illede is an archaeological site on a hill near the confluence of the Zambezi
and Lusitu rivers close to the Kariba Dam.
Mr Kanguya
said the site was uncovered in 1960 by government workers who were digging
foundations for water tanks and was excavated by J.H Chaplin in the same year. PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON JULY 17, 2016-https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=73659
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