A comparative study of the pottery attributes of Mwangia and triangular incised ware (TIW): the issue of technological continuity

This dissertation is a comparative study on the pottery attributes of Mwangia, a variant of Early Iron Working pottery (EIW) and Triangular Incised Wares (TIW) a subsequent tradition. The research aimed at establishing the relationships, similarities and differences between the technological materials of the abovementioned traditions by characterizing their nature in terms of decoration attributes, styles and fabrics. Other objectives of the study included identifying the particular features that characterized each tradition as well as examining the issue of their derivative relationship. Using survey and excavation as data collection methods, raw data were yielded in form of pottery, lithic artifacts, daubs, slag and metal objects regarding the traditions of the studied sites. Moreso, the study employed mineralogical analysis (X-ray diffraction) to examine the relationships of pottery in terms of temper so as to obtain more information on their mineral constituents. Analysis of pottery established a pattern whereby general overlaps and differences in the pottery attributes occurred between the two contexts. Thus the cultural materials retrieved showed that TIW have closer cultural affinities to Mwangia than the preceding traditions (Limbo and Kwale). Again, it was also learnt that pottery technology reflects human craft that carries a group rather than an individual identity.