Page, Hannah B; Quinn, Patrick S; Reid, Andrew; (2025) Unearthing meaning within stylistically homogeneous ceramics: A study from Ntuusi, western Uganda. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports , 66 , Article 105351. 10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105351.

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Abstract

The early 2nd Millennium CE site of Ntuusi in western Uganda provides the earliest dated evidence for the appearance of roulette-decorated ceramics in Eastern Africa, a style that would later become widespread in the region. The simplicity and uniformity of this decorative style has precluded its use as a means of relative dating or cultural subdivision, and thus has led to it being neglected in archaeological research in the region. However, the vast assemblage of well-contextualised ceramics from Ntuusi and its hinterland offers great potential for developing our understanding of a significant period of economic and socio-political change in the African Great Lakes. This paper employs a technological and compositional approach, utilising thin section petrography and portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF) to reconstruct the production and use of the rouletted pottery. The study reveals the presence of a strong, local, household ceramic tradition at Ntuusi and satellite settlements. However, compositional analysis also indicates the use and movement of ceramics in non-domestic, specialised settings, which suggest how feasting activities were bringing together disparate communities, perhaps in the development of new social and political structures.

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