The Kisalian Graves are a series of burial sites located in the Northern part of the Upemba Depression, Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are a part of a larger collection of archaeological sites all dating back to the Iron Age of the region.
Ceramic materials and radiocarbon dating of the graves allow archaeologists to form a chrono-cultural sequence, further dividing the region's Iron Age into distinct phases. The Kisalian Graves date from the Early Kisalian phase (700 - 900 CE) to the Classic Kisalian phase (900 - 1200 CE). Nearly 200 Kisalian graves have been found in the following five cemeteries: Sanga, Katongo, Kamilamba, Kikulu, and Malemba-Nkulu.[1] The grave goods found in the burial sites strongly suggest long-distance trade, metallurgy, social hierarchy, and symbolism within the Kisalian phases. Many of the practices of the Luba people, who currently reside in the Upemba Depression, can be traced back to the Kisalian phases.[2]
- ^ Garenne-Marot, Laurence (2019-12-15). "Typologie du mobilier métallique fondée sur les techniques de mise en forme". Afrique: Archéologie & Arts (in French) (15): 23–52. doi:10.4000/aaa.2432. ISSN 1634-3123. S2CID 213580757.
- ^ Pierre de Maret (1979), Luba Roots: The First Complete Iron Age Sequence in Zaire, Current Anthropology, University of Chicago Press, volume 20, number 1 (Mar., 1979), pages 233–235