Banda Research Project team members use cutlasses to clear the grass around Makala Kataa, 1989. Small trees cover much of the site surface. Baobab trees also grow on the site, one of which is visible in the background (right). Makala Kataa, 1989.
Wooden grid pegs mark the edges of a 2 x 2 m excavation unit (foreground) as two Banda Research Project team members screen soil (right) at Station 6. Osei Kofi carries an empty head pan (left). After sieving the soil, the men carefully pick and bag artifacts (fragments of pottery, metals, beads, animal bone) left in the screen. Studying these artifacts and the contexts from which they were recovered (their provenience) helps archaeologists to learn about the daily lives of past people. Makala Kataa, 1989.
Members of the Banda Research Project team walk from Kuulo Kataa to Dompofie along a narrow farm path. They carry in headpans bags of artifacts excavated during the work day along with soil samples for flotation. One man (Kwasi Ali) walks with his bicycle. The Banda hills appear in the background. Near Dompofie, July, 1995.
The deeply stratified deposits of a midden mound are visible in the east wall of excavation unit 2W 2S, Mound 101, Kuulo Kataa. Mound 101 is a large mound covering roughly 1200 m2 and rising roughly 3 m above the surrounding ground surface at its apex. Unit 2W 2S was excavated to a depth of ca. 330 cm below the mound surface to the point where laterite rock was encountered. It was excavated as a 2 x 2 m unit to level 15, narrowing to a 1 x 2 m from level 16, with a total estimated 8.7 m3 of soil removed from the unit. Upper levels were characterized by dark soils with many rootlets which transitioned to lighter brown soils. Gray ashy soils dominated the lower cultural levels of the mound. At base, orange-brown clayey soils appeared above the laterite substrate. Kuulo Kataa, July, 1995.
The deeply stratified deposits of a midden mound are visible in the east wall of excavation unit 2W 2S, Mound 101, Kuulo Kataa. Mound 101 is a large mound covering roughly 1200 m2 and rising roughly 3 m above the surrounding ground surface at its apex. Unit 2W 2S was excavated to a depth of ca. 330 cm below the mound surface to the point where laterite rock was encountered. It was excavated as a 2 x 2 m unit to level 15, narrowing to a 1 x 2 m from level 16, with a total estimated 8.7 m3 of soil removed from the unit. Upper levels were characterized by dark soils with many rootlets which transitioned to lighter brown soils. Gray ashy soils dominated the lower cultural levels of the mound. At base, orange-brown clayey soils appeared above the laterite substrate. Visible in the profile wall, to the left and slightly lower than a circular area of dark soil, is the interior of a pottery jar, the other half removed and reconstructed (KK 95-693; see link below). Kuulo Kataa, July, 1995.
A light-colored slurry plaster is visible in the base of level 8 in excavation unit 64W 4N, Mound 118, Kuulo Kataa. The plaster is associated with floors and walls of a collapsed structure. Dark circular areas which interrupt the slurry may represent post holes. A photo scale with 5 cm intervals points north. Kuulo Kataa, 14 July, 1995.
Close-up photo of slurry plaster, level 8, excavation unit 64W 4N, Mound 118, Kuulo Kataa. The outer edge (upper left) of a wall/floor appears light in color against darker subsoil. A photo scale with 5 cm intervals points north. Kuulo Kataa, 15 July, 1995.
A burned basin-like feature is visible in profile in the east wall of excavation unit 130W 26S, Mound 138, Kuulo Kataa. Clustered and adjacent to the burned area at the base of level 7 are three pottery pedestal bases, broken away from their original pots. The presence of slag and other burned features in adjacent units suggest that Mound 138 was a place where the site's occupants worked metals. A photo scale with 5 cm intervals points north. Kuulo Kataa, 14 July, 1995.
A burned basin-like feature is visible in profile in the east wall of excavation unit 130W 26S, Mound 138, Kuulo Kataa. Based on the presence of slag and other burned features in adjacent units, the mound is interpreted as a place where the site's occupants were working metals. A photo scale with 5 cm intervals points north. Kuulo Kataa, 14 July, 1995.
A narrow excavation trench cuts across several low mounds ("Mound 1") at Makala Station 10. The standing stub of a deteriorating wall is associated with one low mound. Trees dot the site in the foreground. In the background, behind the trench, are piles of dirt formed by the sieving of excavated dirt in order to recover artifacts. According to oral histories, people moved from this area of Makala Kataa early in the 20th century when British colonial officials implemented a "village planning" scheme. People built new houses east of the old settlement and in time the old houses collapsed and formed low mounds. Makala Kataa, 1990.
A narrow excavation trench cuts across several low mounds at Makala Kataa, Station 10. A low wall stub is visible to the left of the trench in the foreground. Trees dot the site, and low piles of screened excavated soil from the trench are visible in the background. According to oral histories, people moved from this area of Makala Kataa early in the 20th century when British colonial officials implemented a "village planning" scheme. People built new houses east of the old settlement and in time the old houses collapsed and formed low mounds. Makala Kataa, 1990.
View northward at Station 10 with Trench1 visible. The profile wall of a low mound (unit 11W 10S) is visible (right). Low piles of screened dirt from Trench 1 excavations can be seen in the background. Makala Kataa, 1990.
Banda Research Project archaeologists unearth two everted-rim jars in level 8 of Unit 4E0S at Station 6. L-R: Obour Bartholomew; Caesar Apentiik, ___. Makala Kataa, 16 July, 1994.
Two everted-rim jars partially exposed in level 8 of Unit 4E 0S, Mound 5 at Station 6. View looking east. Photo scale in 10 cm increments. Makala Kataa, 16 July, 1994.
Banda Research Project team members excavate units at Mound 6, Station 6, Makala Kataa. Alex Ababio (standing left, in hat) watches as Kwasi Peter digs with a short handled hoe, placing excavated dirt into headpans. Leith Smith (center) and Yaw Francis (right) look on. In the background (right) other team members screen soil. Wooden stakes mark 2 m interval grid points with excavation units marked off by string. A large baobab, one of several on the site, is visible in the background (right). Makala Kataa, June 1994.
In-progress excavations of adjacent 2 x 2 m units at Mound 148, Kuulo Kataa. The base of units 70E 48-52N and 72E 50N have been excavated to depths ranging from 90-110 cm below datum. The large area of dark soil concentrated in unit 70E 50N (center) is intrusive pit fill which cut through the living surface at this mound level. An area of packed reddish-orange laterite gravel in unit 70E 52N (bottom, left) likely represents a prepared floor surface. To the right of the dark pit soil, in the boundary between units 70E 50N and 70E 48N, is a an irregularly shaped burned feature interpreted by archaeologists as likely associated with metalworking. Two radiocarbon samples associated with this burned feature had calibrated age ranges between c.1200-1400 CE. A cluster of hearth stones has been exposed in nearby unit 72E 50N (center photo). White bags filled with soil samples collected for flotation sit outside the excavated area together with excavation equipment. View looking eastwards. Kuulo Kataa, 11 July, 2000.
Eight jar rims have been exposed in situ at the base of level 7, unit 0W 0S, Mound 5, Makala Kataa Station 6. The jar rims are broken off below the neck of the pot and appear to have been placed around a room where they were used as pot stands. In a raised area (bottom center), not excavated to the same depth as surrounding soil, a concentration of reddish soil and gravel marks the traces of a house wall. Archaeologists interpret unit 0W 0S as a part of a kitchen area where foodstuffs were likely stored. The pots and their contents have been removed, with only the pot stands remaining. In the background sits a headpan filled with soil from cleaning the 2 x 2 m unit prior to photoing. A scale arrow with 10 cm intervals points north. View to the west. Makala Kataa, 19 July, 1994.
Banda Research Project team members use a datum string, pulled tight and leveled with a bubble level, to measure the depth below datum of the excavation unit's surface. Yaw Francis (right) holds the string level as Yaw Frimpong (left) measures the depth close to the bubble level. By taking periodic measurements as they dig across the unit, they ensure that the surface of each completed level is even. A head pan and short handled hoe sit next to excavated dirt in the unit. Maria Dores Cruz (far left) and other team members work on an adjacent excavation unit on Mound 6, Station 6. Makala Kataa, 1994.
Banda Research Project team members use a datum string pulled tight and leveled with a bubble level as a reference for measuring the depth below datum of the excavated surface. Alex Ababio (right) holds the datum string level and tight while Osei Kofi helps another team member to straighten the tape measure in order to make an accurate measurement. A short handled hoe lays in the bottom of the unit. Timothy Fordour stands nearby (far right) by a headpan. Mound 3, Station 10. Makala Kataa, 1994.
West wall of excavation unit 55W 69N in Mound 102 at Kuulo Kataa. Topmost levels are characterized by dark soil that fades to brown below the area where rootlets are visible. A distinct boundary separates these brown soils from the gray ashy levels below. Mound 102 is a large deep midden mound which covers approximately 1600 m2 and rises several meters above the surrounding ground surface. A single 1 x 2 m unit was excavated to the base of level 13, after which a 1 x 1 m unit was excavated to almost 4 m, removing roughly 5 m3 of soil. Three radiocarbon samples from lower levels of the mound (3-3.5 m below the ground surface; not visible in this photo) had calibrated age ranges of c. 1400-1530 CE. Kuulo Kataa, 8 July, 2000.