A reconsideration of the figures from Luzira

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Periodical article

Title:	A reconsideration of the figures from Luzira
Authors:	Ashley, Ceri Reid, Andrew
Year:	2008
Periodical:	Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa (ISSN 1945-5534)
Volume:	43
Pages:	95-123
Language:	English
Notes:	biblio. refs., ills., maps
Geographic terms:	Uganda East Africa
Subjects:	archaeology pottery prehistory History, Archaeology Excavations (Archaeology) Ceramics
External link:	https://doi.org/10.1080/00672700809480461
Abstract:	Despite the attested power and impact of the Luzira head, one of the few examples of precolonial figurative ceramics from the Great Lakes region, the eponymous head, two torsos and five further ceramic fragments are almost totally unknown to the public in Uganda and the international archaeological/art historical communities alike. The figures were discovered in 1929 when prisoners were levelling out a hilltop in order to extend the prison compound at Luzira, on the eastern side of Kampala. This paper presents a detailed description of the finds; redates the collection - based on ceramic evidence - to the late first/early second millennium AD; demonstrates its regional cultural affiliations; and makes some tentative ritual interpretations. In a general sense, the Luzira figures can be placed in the early stages of the political and economic transformations which ultimately gave rise to the historical kingdoms. Specifically, the figures are tied to specialized exploitation of, and expansion across, Lake Victoria. Bibliogr., note, sum. [ASC Leiden abstract]