ABSTRACT
McIntosh, S.K. and H. Bocoum. "New perspectives on Sincu Bara, a first millennium site in the Senegal Valley. African Archaeological Review, vol. 17 (1): 124-178. 2000.

The 67 ha site of Sincu Bara was discovered and extensively excavated in the 1970's. Three primary aspects of its archaeological interest were its vast size, its location in the Middle Senegal Valley where some of the earliest regional polities in West Africa arose, and the extensive and diverse assortment of copper-based metal artifacts it produced. Deposits with brass appeared to be associated with radiocarbon dates as early as the fifth century A.D. It appeared that most of the deposits related to a single, long-lasting occupation by people who arrived with sophisticated copper-based metallurgy in the fifth century and remained at least until the eleventh century, without discernible modification in their material culture. Results of new excavations in 1991-2 indicate that this interpretation must be substantially modified, since considerable change in material culture, including the introduction of copper-based metals between A.D. 800-900, has now been documented. This article summarizes the data from these new excavations and suggests that earlier interpretations were based largely on material from disturbed, severely mixed deposits, which gave a false picture of homogeneity through time.