Prehistoric Hunter/Farmers of The Mid - Zambezi Valley: Faunal Remains from Kamukombe, a Multi-component Village Site in Northern Zimbabwe

Abstract

An analysis of faunal remain recovered from the multi-component site of Kamukombe in the mid-Zambezi valley, northern Zimbabwe shown that the Early Farming Communities (EFC) of the Kadzi Tradition and the later farming Communities (LFC) of the Musengezi tradition relied in a mixed meat economy based in hunting and herding with a bias towards hunting. In comparison to other excavated sites in the area, these communities seem to lack clear evidence of cattle herding. Equally important is the absence of evidence for the increased emphasis on domestic animal herding (especially cattle) that seems to characterise the transition from the EFC to LFC elsewhere in the region.