Anne Mayor
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 3584736 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Anne Mayor |
| NOMBRES | Anne |
| APELLIDO | Mayor |
| FIRMA | MAYOR A |
| AFILIACIONES | University of Geneva |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3665-1804 |
| VERIFICADO | Sí |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 32 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 188 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 32 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2005 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 7 |
Ethnoarchaeology as a State of Mind
This paper reflects on ethnoarchaeology as a “state of mind” rather than a discrete methodological approach. Drawing on discussions from the “Ethnoarchaeology of Livelihood” conference held in Barcelona in 2024, we situate ethnoarchaeology within broader disciplinary debates on epistemology, social relevance, and the role of archaeology in a rapidly changing world. We engage with the historical development of ethnoarchaeology, highlighting its du…
Secular variation of the geomagnetic field in Sub-Saharan Africa over the last millennia
Instrumental observations highlight that intertropical Africa is one of the areas with the most rapid changes in the modern geomagnetic field. The secular variation beyond the last centuries is poorly known due to lack of data, this large region representing only 0.7% of the GEOMAGIA50 database. The resulting large uncertainties in global geomagnetic models in this area make in particular the history of the present South Atlantic anomaly unclear.…
Evolution of an Early and Long-Lasting Iron Smelting Technique at Didé West 1, Falémé Valley, Eastern Senegal
Replacement in Progress
Mudbricks in Medieval West African Architecture
The Djoutoubaya settlement in the Falémé Valley (Senegal), occupied from the 9th to 14th centuries, provides key insights into West African mudbrick architecture prior to the 16th century. This study examines Djoutoubaya’s architectural evolution, focusing on a mudbrick complex dating to the 13th century. The presence of two distinct brick types – hand-modeled “loaf-shaped” and molded plano-convex – demonstrates diverse construction practices, wh…
Disappearing Pottery Traditions? The Influence of Socio-economic Factors on Technical Innovations in Senegal and The Gambia
Nowadays, ceramic productions in sub-Saharan Africa are often described as “declining” or “in danger,” due for example to a growing concurrence of modern containers (metallic, plastic) during the twentieth century or changing lifestyles. However, very few researchers question the mechanisms of such processes of decline or abandonment, thus preventing an understanding of related cultural dynamics. This article, based on recent ethnographic surveys…
Unravelling ceramic content and organic coatings in Senegalese ethnographic pottery vessels
Archaeological Glass Beads as Evidence of Exchange Dynamics in West Africa
Glass beads are among the oldest objects in the glassmaking industry. In West Africa, archaeological glass beads are evidence of short-, medium- and long-distance trade within the continent and with the rest of the world, in relation to social and geopolitical circumstances. As glass beads relate to many aspects of the everyday life of a community, the interest of their study lies in gaining evidence about technological aspects, socio-cultural co…
From pottery use-alteration to food habits
A use-alteration study uncovered the food habits of a 20th century village in Senegal. • The large size of the sample enabled a multivariate approach on use-alterations. • Methodological keys are detailed to distinguish use-alterations from post-depositional alterations. • The study brought information on the way of use, contents and types of contact on pots. • Repetition of use-alteration on morphotypes enabled the identification of pottery func…
Identifying Past Beer Production
The identification of beer production in past societies remains a challenge as very few studies have discussed its material evidence. Our investigation in Senegal aimed at filling this gap. We documented 14 beer houses and several beer cooking areas in five Bedik villages and excavated a beer house and associated cooking area in a recently abandoned village. We recorded the architectural attributes of the beer-making structures (location, shape, …
Beyond Uniformity
Ceramic traditions are constantly evolving, but the pace of change is variable and not all stages of the chaîne opératoire are affected in the same way, depending on the causes of borrowing, abandonment, or innovation. Few ethnoarchaeological studies in Africa have focused on a detailed understanding of these dynamics, which are important for the interpretation of past societies. Our study was conducted from 2012 to 2015 along the Falémé Valley i…
Ce sont les femmes qui savent
Les changements globaux affectent depuis quelques décennies les rizières estuariennes de Basse-Casamance : ils imposent aux cultivatrices de nouvelles pratiques agricoles et influencent de nouveaux choix de semences. Cet article a pour objectif de montrer comment les représentations environnementales des cultivatrices leur permettent de mettre en œuvre des savoirs et des pratiques agricoles dynamiques qui participent à la continuité de la product…
Relationships Between Lipid Profiles and Use of Ethnographic Pottery
Agricultural diversification in West Africa
While narratives of the spread of agriculture are central to interpretation of African history, hard evidence of past crops and cultivation practices are still few. This research aims at filling this gap and better understanding the evolution of agriculture and foodways in West Africa. It reports evidence from systematic flotation samples taken at the settlement mounds of Sadia (Mali), dating from 4 phases (phase 0=before first-third century AD; …
Variability of Early Iron Production in the Falémé Valley Region, Eastern Senegal
Vernacular architecture in eastern Senegal
Architecture is an important component of cultural identity, but knowledge regarding construction techniques using local materials is gradually disappearing, and this subject has rarely been studied in sub-Saharan Africa. This ethno-archaeological study of current vernacular architecture and its evolution during the past three centuries in eastern Senegal therefore brings innovative results that are interesting on different levels. In relation to…
A Phoenician glass eye bead from 7th–5th c. cal BCE Nin-Bèrè 3, Mali
Radiocarbon Dating and the Protection of Cultural Heritage
The modern antiquities market uses radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating to screen for forged objects. Although this fact shows the potential and power of the method, the circumstances where it is applied can be questionable and call for our attention. Here we present an outline of a call to radiocarbon laboratories for due diligence and best practice approaches to the analysis of antique objects requested by non-research clients
Diet variability among pre‐Dogon and early Dogon populations (Mali) from stable isotopes and dental diseases
Aims and Objectives This article reports on diet variability in the Dogon Country (Mali) through a bio‐archeological study of pre‐Dogon and early Dogon human remains (7th century to 19th century AD) from collective burial caves in the Bandiagara Escarpment. Materials and Methods Two hundred and twenty crania from collections curated in Leiden, Paris, and Bamako were studied for dental diseases. In a subset of teeth ( n = 175), δ 13 C and δ 15 N w…
Ethno-archaeometry in eastern Senegal
The “Enhancement” of Cultural Heritage by AMS Dating
The looting of archaeological and ethnographic objects from emerging countries and areas of conflict has prospered due to the high prices that these objects can achieve on the art market. This commercial value now almost necessarily requires proof of authenticity by the object’s age. To do so, absolute dating has been conducted since the end of the 1970s on terra cotta art objects using the thermoluminescence method, a practice that has since bee…
Towards a Better Understanding of Sub-Saharan Settlement Mounds before AD 1400
In the Niger Bend, many studies have shown the existence of settlement mounds which mainly developed between the 1 st millennium BC and the 15 th century AD. While knowledge about tell-type sites in sub-Saharan Africa has advanced in recent years, many aspects of this topic remain poorly understood. Considering the vast geographic area and time span, there is very little accurate chronostratigraphic information available. This relative lack of lo…
Early social complexity in the Dogon Country (Mali) as evidenced by a new chronology of funerary practices
L'abri-sous-roche de Dangandouloun en pays Dogon (Mali)
These results indicate that blueberry and mulberry juice may help counteract obesity
Mobile technologies in the ancient Sahara and beyond
Ceramic Traditions and Ethnicity in the Niger Bend, West Africa
While anthropologists and historians have clearly underlined the dynamics of human groups, ethnoarchaeologists have emphasized the stability of modes of transmission of technical knowledge within ethnolinguistic groups. Overcoming this apparent opposition by mobilizing and confronting lines of evidence from three distinct disciplines — ethnoarchaeology, ethnohistory, and archaeology — allows me to tackle the material expression of social identiti…
Population dynamics and Paleoclimate over the past 3000 years in the Dogon Country, Mali
Towards a Better Understanding of Sub-Saharan Settlement Mounds before AD 1400
In the Niger Bend, many studies have shown the existence of settlement mounds which mainly developed between the 1 st millennium BC and the 15 th century AD. While knowledge about tell-type sites in sub-Saharan Africa has advanced in recent years, many aspects of this topic remain poorly understood. Considering the vast geographic area and time span, there is very little accurate chronostratigraphic information available. This relative lack of lo…
Agricultural diversification in West Africa
While narratives of the spread of agriculture are central to interpretation of African history, hard evidence of past crops and cultivation practices are still few. This research aims at filling this gap and better understanding the evolution of agriculture and foodways in West Africa. It reports evidence from systematic flotation samples taken at the settlement mounds of Sadia (Mali), dating from 4 phases (phase 0=before first-third century AD; …
Impressions de vanneries et technique du martelage sur forme concave
This article describes the pottery shaping technique of pounding on a concave form on a mat, a technique used in the Sahelian band of West Africa from Sudan to Mali. The impressed decoration generated by this shaping technique is absent at the protohistoric site of Jenné-Jeno in Mali, on the basis of which a reference typology at the West African scale has been constructed; this has led to frequent difficulties in identification. My objective foc…
Vernacular architecture in eastern Senegal
Architecture is an important component of cultural identity, but knowledge regarding construction techniques using local materials is gradually disappearing, and this subject has rarely been studied in sub-Saharan Africa. This ethno-archaeological study of current vernacular architecture and its evolution during the past three centuries in eastern Senegal therefore brings innovative results that are interesting on different levels. In relation to…
Relationships Between Lipid Profiles and Use of Ethnographic Pottery
Outils de potières au Mali
Les études ethnoarchéologiques menées sur plusieurs traditions céramiques du Mali central par l’équipe MAESAO 1 de l’université de Genève ont permis de rassembler une documentation importante sur les outils de potières et leur utilisation au sein de différentes chaînes opératoires de façonnage. Cette étude de cas a pour objectif de montrer la variété de ces outils et de mettre en évidence la complexité des liens entre outils, gestes, techniques d…
A Phoenician glass eye bead from 7th–5th c. cal BCE Nin-Bèrè 3, Mali
Ethno-archaeometry in eastern Senegal
L'occupation humaine de la vallée du Guringin (plaine du Séno, Mali)
Recent archaeological survey conducted in Mali in the Guringin Valley, located in the Séno Plain, as well as at the top of the nearby Bandiagara Escarpment, has produced evidence allowing the characterisation of numerous settlement sites and locations at which prehistoric metallurgy was practised. The latter have abundant surface material, mainly consisting of ceramics that show a considerable diversity of decoration. Analysis of the surface pott…
Identifying Past Beer Production
The identification of beer production in past societies remains a challenge as very few studies have discussed its material evidence. Our investigation in Senegal aimed at filling this gap. We documented 14 beer houses and several beer cooking areas in five Bedik villages and excavated a beer house and associated cooking area in a recently abandoned village. We recorded the architectural attributes of the beer-making structures (location, shape, …
Beyond Uniformity
Ceramic traditions are constantly evolving, but the pace of change is variable and not all stages of the chaîne opératoire are affected in the same way, depending on the causes of borrowing, abandonment, or innovation. Few ethnoarchaeological studies in Africa have focused on a detailed understanding of these dynamics, which are important for the interpretation of past societies. Our study was conducted from 2012 to 2015 along the Falémé Valley i…
Radiocarbon Dating and the Protection of Cultural Heritage
The modern antiquities market uses radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating to screen for forged objects. Although this fact shows the potential and power of the method, the circumstances where it is applied can be questionable and call for our attention. Here we present an outline of a call to radiocarbon laboratories for due diligence and best practice approaches to the analysis of antique objects requested by non-research clients
Ce sont les femmes qui savent
Les changements globaux affectent depuis quelques décennies les rizières estuariennes de Basse-Casamance : ils imposent aux cultivatrices de nouvelles pratiques agricoles et influencent de nouveaux choix de semences. Cet article a pour objectif de montrer comment les représentations environnementales des cultivatrices leur permettent de mettre en œuvre des savoirs et des pratiques agricoles dynamiques qui participent à la continuité de la product…
The “Enhancement” of Cultural Heritage by AMS Dating
The looting of archaeological and ethnographic objects from emerging countries and areas of conflict has prospered due to the high prices that these objects can achieve on the art market. This commercial value now almost necessarily requires proof of authenticity by the object’s age. To do so, absolute dating has been conducted since the end of the 1970s on terra cotta art objects using the thermoluminescence method, a practice that has since bee…
Variability of Early Iron Production in the Falémé Valley Region, Eastern Senegal
Diet variability among pre‐Dogon and early Dogon populations (Mali) from stable isotopes and dental diseases
Aims and Objectives This article reports on diet variability in the Dogon Country (Mali) through a bio‐archeological study of pre‐Dogon and early Dogon human remains (7th century to 19th century AD) from collective burial caves in the Bandiagara Escarpment. Materials and Methods Two hundred and twenty crania from collections curated in Leiden, Paris, and Bamako were studied for dental diseases. In a subset of teeth ( n = 175), δ 13 C and δ 15 N w…
Disappearing Pottery Traditions? The Influence of Socio-economic Factors on Technical Innovations in Senegal and The Gambia
Nowadays, ceramic productions in sub-Saharan Africa are often described as “declining” or “in danger,” due for example to a growing concurrence of modern containers (metallic, plastic) during the twentieth century or changing lifestyles. However, very few researchers question the mechanisms of such processes of decline or abandonment, thus preventing an understanding of related cultural dynamics. This article, based on recent ethnographic surveys…
Unravelling ceramic content and organic coatings in Senegalese ethnographic pottery vessels
From pottery use-alteration to food habits
A use-alteration study uncovered the food habits of a 20th century village in Senegal. • The large size of the sample enabled a multivariate approach on use-alterations. • Methodological keys are detailed to distinguish use-alterations from post-depositional alterations. • The study brought information on the way of use, contents and types of contact on pots. • Repetition of use-alteration on morphotypes enabled the identification of pottery func…
Population dynamics and Paleoclimate over the past 3000 years in the Dogon Country, Mali
Outils de potières au Mali
Les études ethnoarchéologiques menées sur plusieurs traditions céramiques du Mali central par l’équipe MAESAO 1 de l’université de Genève ont permis de rassembler une documentation importante sur les outils de potières et leur utilisation au sein de différentes chaînes opératoires de façonnage. Cette étude de cas a pour objectif de montrer la variété de ces outils et de mettre en évidence la complexité des liens entre outils, gestes, techniques d…
Ceramic Traditions and Ethnicity in the Niger Bend, West Africa
While anthropologists and historians have clearly underlined the dynamics of human groups, ethnoarchaeologists have emphasized the stability of modes of transmission of technical knowledge within ethnolinguistic groups. Overcoming this apparent opposition by mobilizing and confronting lines of evidence from three distinct disciplines — ethnoarchaeology, ethnohistory, and archaeology — allows me to tackle the material expression of social identiti…
Impressions de vanneries et technique du martelage sur forme concave
This article describes the pottery shaping technique of pounding on a concave form on a mat, a technique used in the Sahelian band of West Africa from Sudan to Mali. The impressed decoration generated by this shaping technique is absent at the protohistoric site of Jenné-Jeno in Mali, on the basis of which a reference typology at the West African scale has been constructed; this has led to frequent difficulties in identification. My objective foc…
Crossroads/Carrefour Sahel
L'occupation humaine de la vallée du Guringin (plaine du Séno, Mali)
Recent archaeological survey conducted in Mali in the Guringin Valley, located in the Séno Plain, as well as at the top of the nearby Bandiagara Escarpment, has produced evidence allowing the characterisation of numerous settlement sites and locations at which prehistoric metallurgy was practised. The latter have abundant surface material, mainly consisting of ceramics that show a considerable diversity of decoration. Analysis of the surface pott…
Early social complexity in the Dogon Country (Mali) as evidenced by a new chronology of funerary practices
Thiam Mandiomé, 2010, La céramique dans l’espace sénégambien. Un patrimoine méconnu
La céramique est l’un des matériaux de prédilection des archéologues et des ethno-archéologues pour explorer les questions d’identités, de frontières sociales, de choix techniques, d’échanges ou d’évolution culturelle. Mais ce matériel n’est pas connu de façon égale partout. Au Sénégal, ce n’est guère que depuis 25 ans que l’on y accorde l’attention qu’il mérite. Et, malgré de très bonnes études récentes, beaucoup reste à faire pour mieux connaît…
Towards a Better Understanding of Sub-Saharan Settlement Mounds before AD 1400
In the Niger Bend, many studies have shown the existence of settlement mounds which mainly developed between the 1 st millennium BC and the 15 th century AD. While knowledge about tell-type sites in sub-Saharan Africa has advanced in recent years, many aspects of this topic remain poorly understood. Considering the vast geographic area and time span, there is very little accurate chronostratigraphic information available. This relative lack of lo…
Ethno-archaeometry in eastern Senegal
The “Enhancement” of Cultural Heritage by AMS Dating
The looting of archaeological and ethnographic objects from emerging countries and areas of conflict has prospered due to the high prices that these objects can achieve on the art market. This commercial value now almost necessarily requires proof of authenticity by the object’s age. To do so, absolute dating has been conducted since the end of the 1970s on terra cotta art objects using the thermoluminescence method, a practice that has since bee…
A Phoenician glass eye bead from 7th–5th c. cal BCE Nin-Bèrè 3, Mali
Radiocarbon Dating and the Protection of Cultural Heritage
The modern antiquities market uses radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating to screen for forged objects. Although this fact shows the potential and power of the method, the circumstances where it is applied can be questionable and call for our attention. Here we present an outline of a call to radiocarbon laboratories for due diligence and best practice approaches to the analysis of antique objects requested by non-research clients
Diet variability among pre‐Dogon and early Dogon populations (Mali) from stable isotopes and dental diseases
Aims and Objectives This article reports on diet variability in the Dogon Country (Mali) through a bio‐archeological study of pre‐Dogon and early Dogon human remains (7th century to 19th century AD) from collective burial caves in the Bandiagara Escarpment. Materials and Methods Two hundred and twenty crania from collections curated in Leiden, Paris, and Bamako were studied for dental diseases. In a subset of teeth ( n = 175), δ 13 C and δ 15 N w…
Variability of Early Iron Production in the Falémé Valley Region, Eastern Senegal
Vernacular architecture in eastern Senegal
Architecture is an important component of cultural identity, but knowledge regarding construction techniques using local materials is gradually disappearing, and this subject has rarely been studied in sub-Saharan Africa. This ethno-archaeological study of current vernacular architecture and its evolution during the past three centuries in eastern Senegal therefore brings innovative results that are interesting on different levels. In relation to…
Agricultural diversification in West Africa
While narratives of the spread of agriculture are central to interpretation of African history, hard evidence of past crops and cultivation practices are still few. This research aims at filling this gap and better understanding the evolution of agriculture and foodways in West Africa. It reports evidence from systematic flotation samples taken at the settlement mounds of Sadia (Mali), dating from 4 phases (phase 0=before first-third century AD; …
Relationships Between Lipid Profiles and Use of Ethnographic Pottery
Ce sont les femmes qui savent
Les changements globaux affectent depuis quelques décennies les rizières estuariennes de Basse-Casamance : ils imposent aux cultivatrices de nouvelles pratiques agricoles et influencent de nouveaux choix de semences. Cet article a pour objectif de montrer comment les représentations environnementales des cultivatrices leur permettent de mettre en œuvre des savoirs et des pratiques agricoles dynamiques qui participent à la continuité de la product…
L'abri-sous-roche de Dangandouloun en pays Dogon (Mali)
These results indicate that blueberry and mulberry juice may help counteract obesity
Mobile technologies in the ancient Sahara and beyond
From pottery use-alteration to food habits
A use-alteration study uncovered the food habits of a 20th century village in Senegal. • The large size of the sample enabled a multivariate approach on use-alterations. • Methodological keys are detailed to distinguish use-alterations from post-depositional alterations. • The study brought information on the way of use, contents and types of contact on pots. • Repetition of use-alteration on morphotypes enabled the identification of pottery func…
Identifying Past Beer Production
The identification of beer production in past societies remains a challenge as very few studies have discussed its material evidence. Our investigation in Senegal aimed at filling this gap. We documented 14 beer houses and several beer cooking areas in five Bedik villages and excavated a beer house and associated cooking area in a recently abandoned village. We recorded the architectural attributes of the beer-making structures (location, shape, …
Beyond Uniformity
Ceramic traditions are constantly evolving, but the pace of change is variable and not all stages of the chaîne opératoire are affected in the same way, depending on the causes of borrowing, abandonment, or innovation. Few ethnoarchaeological studies in Africa have focused on a detailed understanding of these dynamics, which are important for the interpretation of past societies. Our study was conducted from 2012 to 2015 along the Falémé Valley i…
Mudbricks in Medieval West African Architecture
The Djoutoubaya settlement in the Falémé Valley (Senegal), occupied from the 9th to 14th centuries, provides key insights into West African mudbrick architecture prior to the 16th century. This study examines Djoutoubaya’s architectural evolution, focusing on a mudbrick complex dating to the 13th century. The presence of two distinct brick types – hand-modeled “loaf-shaped” and molded plano-convex – demonstrates diverse construction practices, wh…
Archaeology (20 obras) · Geography (19 obras) · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies (14 obras) · History (13 obras) · Pottery (10 obras) · African Studies and Ethnography (9 obras) · African Studies and Geopolitics (9 obras) · History (8 obras) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (7 obras) · Art (7 obras)