Every now and then, a pandemic emerges that dramatically alters human society. O Black Plague (1347 – 1351) was one; O Spanish flu 1918 was another. Now there is COVID-19.
Archaeologists have long studied disease in past populations. To do this, they consider a wide range of evidence: settlement layout, graves, funerary remains and human skeletons.
For example, because of archaeologists we know that the damaging impact of epidemics led to the abandonment of settlements at Akrokrowa in Ghana during the early 14th century AD. Some 76 children’s cemeteries in an abandoned settlement that is now part of the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site in South Africa’s Limpopo Valley suggest a pandemic hit the people living there after 1000 AD.
Archaeological and historical insights They also expose some of the strategies that societies have adopted to deal with pandemics. This included burning settlements as disinfectant and moving settlements to new locations. Social distancing was practiced by dispersing settlements. Archaeologists discoveries at Mwenezi in southern Zimbabwe also show that it was taboo to touch or interfere with the remains of the dead, to prevent diseases being transmitted in this way. In the late 1960s, some members of an archaeological dig excavating floors from 13th-century houses in Phalaborwa, South Africa, refused to continue working after finding graves they believed to be sacred. They also feared the burials were linked to a disease outbreak.
Social distancing and isolation have become watchwords during the COVID-19 pandemic. From archaeology, we know that the same practices were a critical part of pandemic management in historic African societies. In what is now Zimbabwe, the Shona people in the 17th and 18th centuries isolated those suffering from infectious diseases – such as leprosy – in temporary residential structures. This meant that very few people could come into contact with the sick. In some cases, corpses were burned to prevent the spread of contagion.
Humans have a propensity to relax and change priorities when calamities pass. Data collected by archaeologists showing how indigenous knowledge systems helped ancient societies in Africa cope with the shock of disease and pandemics can help remind policymakers of different ways to prepare modern societies for the same issues .
Social distancing and isolation
To look for early urban settlement of K2, part of the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site, has shed significant light on ancient pandemics.
The inhabitants from K2 (dating back to between 1000 and 1200 AD) thrived on agriculture, cattle raising, metallurgy, hunting, and gathering food in the forest. They had well-developed local and regional economies that fueled international exchange networks with the Indian Ocean rim. The Swahili cities of East Africa functioned as canals.
Archaeological work on K2 uncovered an unusually high number of burials (94), 76 of which belonged to children aged 0 to 4 years. This translated into a 5% mortality rate. Evidence from the site shows that the settlement was abruptly abandoned around the same time these burials occurred. This means that a pandemic led to the community’s decision to move to another settlement.
Moving to another region of Africa, archaeological work in early urban settlements in central and southern Ghana identified the impact of pandemics in places such as Akrokrowa (950 – 1300 AD) and Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, in the central district of Ghana.
These settlements, like others in the Birim Valley of southern Ghana, were bounded by intricate systems of trenches and earthen banks. Evidence shows that after a few centuries of continuous and stable occupation, the settlements were abruptly abandoned. The period of abandonment appears to coincide with the devastation of the Black Death in Europe.
Post-pandemic, houses have not been rebuilt; nor any trash accumulated in daily activities. Instead, the disturbed communities went to live elsewhere. As there are no signs of long-term effects – in the form of long periods of hardship, deaths, or drastic socioeconomic or political changes – archaeologists believe these communities were able to manage and adapt to the pandemic.
Analysis of archaeological evidence reveals that these ancient African communities adopted various strategies to manage pandemics. This includes burning settlements as disinfectant before reoccupying them or transferring properties to new locations. African indigenous knowledge systems make it clear that burning settlements or forests was an established way of controlling disease.
The layout of the settlements was also important. In areas like Zimbabwe and parts of Mozambique, for example, settlements were dispersed to house one or two families in one space. This allowed people to remain distant from each other – but not too distant to engage in daily care, support and cooperation. Although social coherence was the glue that held society together, social distancing was incorporated, in a supportive way. Communities knew that outbreaks were unpredictable but possible, so they built their settlements in a dispersed manner to plan for the future.
These behaviors were also increased by diversified diets this included fruits, roots, and other things that provided nutrients and strengthened the immune system.
Africa’s past and the future of pandemics
There have been multiple long-term implications of pandemics in these communities. Perhaps the most important thing was that people organized themselves in a way that made it easier to live with diseases, controlling them and at the same time adhering to basics such as good hygiene, sanitation and environmental control. Life did not stop because of pandemics: populations did decisions and choices live with them.
Some of these lessons can be applied to COVID-19, guiding decisions and choices to protect the vulnerable from the pandemic while allowing economic activity and other aspects of life to continue. As past evidence shows, social behavior is the first line of defense against pandemics: it is essential that this is considered when planning for the post-pandemic future.
This article was republished from The conversation, an independent, nonprofit news organization that brings you trusted facts and analysis to help you understand our complex world. It was written by: Shadreck Chirikure, University of Oxford
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Shadreck Chirikure receives funding from the South African National Research Foundation, the University of Cape Town, the Royal Society, the British Academy and the University of Oxford. He is Professor of Archeology at the University of Cape Town and holds a British Academy Global Chair in the School of Archeology at the University of Oxford.
