Urewe[edit]

Main article: Urewe §  Chronology

The Urewe culture developed and spread in and around the Lake Victoria region of Africa during
the African Iron Age. The culture's earliest dated artifacts are located in the Kagera
Region of Tanzania, and it extended as far west as the Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, as far east as the Nyanza and Western provinces of Kenya, and north
into Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Sites from the Urewe culture date from the Early Iron Age, from
the 5th century BC to the 6th century AD.
The origins of the Urewe culture are ultimately in the Bantu expansion originating in Cameroon.
Research into early Iron Age civilizations in Sub-Saharan Africa has been undertaken concurrently
with studies on African linguistics on Bantu expansion. The Urewe culture may correspond to the
Eastern subfamily of Bantu languages, spoken by the descendants of the first wave of Bantu
peoples to settle East Africa. At first sight, Urewe seems to be a fully developed civilization
recognizable through its distinctive, stylish earthenware and highly technical and sophisticated iron
working techniques. Given our current level of knowledge, neither seems to have developed or
altered for nearly 2,000 years. However, minor local variations in the ceramic ware can be observed.
[citation needed]

Urewe is the name of the site in Kenya brought to prominence through the publication in 1948
of Mary Leakey's archaeological findings. She described the early Iron Age period in the Great
Lakes region in Central East Africa around Lake Victoria.
Madagascar and Merina[edit]
Main articles: History of Madagascar and Merina people §  History

Queen Ranavalona I

Madagascar was apparently first settled by Austronesian speakers from Southeast Asia before the

6th century AD and subsequently by Bantu speakers from the east African mainland in the 6th or 7th
century, according to archaeological and linguistic data. The Austronesians
introduced banana and rice cultivation, and the Bantu speakers introduced cattle and other farming
practices. About the year 1000, Arab and Indian trade settlement were started in northern
Madagascar to exploit the Indian Ocean trade.[232] By the 14th century, Islam was introduced on the
island by traders. Madagascar functioned in the East African medieval period as a contact port for
the other Swahili seaport city-states such as Sofala, Kilwa, Mombasa, and Zanzibar.[citation needed]
Several kingdoms emerged after the 15th century: the Sakalava Kingdom (16th century) on the west
coast, Tsitambala Kingdom (17th century) on the east coast, and Merina (15th century) in the central
highlands. By the 19th century, Merina controlled the whole island. In 1500, the Portuguese were the
first Europeans on the island, raiding the trading settlements.[233]
The British and later the French arrived. During the latter part of the 17th century, Madagascar was a
popular transit point for pirates. Radama I (1810–1828) invited Christian missionaries in the early
19th century. Queen Ranavalona I "the Cruel" (1828–1861) banned the practice of Christianity in the
kingdom, and an estimated 150,000 Christians perished. Under Radama II (1861–1863),
Madagascar took a French orientation, with great commercial concession given to the French. In
1895, in the second Franco-Hova War, the French invaded Madagascar, taking
over Antsiranana (Diego Suarez) and declaring Madagascar a protectorate.[233]