From time to time, an epidemic emerges that dramatically changes human society. The Black Death (1347 – 1351) was one of them; The Spanish flu of 1918 was another. Now there is COVID-19.
Archaeologists have long been studying diseases in past populations. To do this, they consider a wide range of evidence: layout, graves, grave remains and human skeletons.
Thanks to archaeologists, for example, we know that the harmful effects of epidemics led to the abandonment of settlements at Akkrowa in Ghana in the early 14th century AD. Some 76 infant cemeteries at an abandoned settlement that forms part of the Mapungubwe World Heritage site in South Africa’s Limpopo Valley indicate that an epidemic affected the people living there after 1000 AD.
Archaeological and historical information also reveals some of the strategies societies adopted to cope with epidemics. These included burning settlements as disinfectants and relocating settlements to new locations. Social distance was ensured by dispersing the settlements. Archaeologists’ findings at Mwenezi in southern Zimbabwe show that touching or handling the remains of the dead was taboo for fear of transmitting diseases in this way. In the late 1960s, some members of an archaeological excavation team excavating the floors of 13th-century houses in Phalaborwa, South Africa, refused to continue the work after encountering burials they believed to be sacred. They were also concerned that the funerals were related to a disease outbreak.
Social distancing and isolation have become slogans during the COVID-19 pandemic. We know from archeology that these same practices formed a critical part of managing pandemics in historical African societies. In present-day Zimbabwe, in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Shona people isolated those suffering from infectious diseases such as leprosy in temporary housing structures. This meant that very few people could come into contact with the patients. In some cases, corpses were cremated to prevent the spread of the epidemic.
When disasters are over, people tend to relax and change their priorities. Data collected by archaeologists showing how indigenous knowledge systems helped ancient societies in Africa cope with the shocks of disease and epidemics can help remind policymakers of the different ways to prepare modern societies for the same problems.
Social distance and isolation
Research at the early urban settlement of K2, part of the Mapungubwe World Heritage site, has shed significant light on ancient epidemics.
The inhabitants of K2 (dating back to between 1000 AD and 1200 AD) earned their living by agricultural farming, cattle breeding, metallurgy, hunting, and gathering food from the forest. They had well-developed local and regional economies that fed international exchange networks along the Indian Ocean coast. The Swahili towns of East Africa served as conduits.
Archaeological work at K2 revealed an unusually high number of graves (94); 76 of these belonged to babies in the 0-4 age category. This corresponded to a 5% mortality rate. Evidence from the site indicates that the settlement was suddenly abandoned around the same time as these graves. This means that an epidemic led to the community deciding to move to another settlement.
Archaeological studies at the first urban settlements in central and southern Ghana, which shifted to another part of Africa, determined the impact of the pandemic on places such as Akrokrowa (950 – 1300 AD) and Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa in the central region of Ghana.
These settlements, like others in the Birim Valley in southern Ghana, were bounded by complex systems of ditches and embankments. Evidence suggests that settlements were suddenly abandoned after several centuries of continuous and stable occupation. The period of abandonment appears to coincide with the devastation of Europe by the Black Death.
Post-pandemic homes were not rebuilt; No garbage accumulated due to daily activities. Instead, disrupted communities went to live elsewhere. Archaeologists believe that these communities were able to manage and adapt to the epidemic, as there are no signs of long-term effects in the form of prolonged hardship, deaths, or drastic socioeconomic or political changes.
Analysis of archaeological evidence reveals that these ancient African societies adopted a variety of strategies to manage pandemics. These include burning settlements as disinfectants before they are reoccupied or farms are moved to new locations. African indigenous knowledge systems make clear that burning settlements or forests is an established way of managing disease.
The layout of the settlements was also important. For example, in some parts of Zimbabwe and Mozambique, settlements were dispersed to accommodate one or two families in the same area. This allowed people to keep a certain distance from each other; but this distance was not too far for daily care, support and cooperation. While social cohesion was the glue that held society together, social distance was supportively entrenched. Communities knew that epidemics were unpredictable but possible, so they built settlements in a dispersed manner to plan ahead.
These behaviors were also enhanced by diversified diets that included fruits, roots, and other things that provided nutrients and boosted the immune system.
Africa’s past and the future of pandemics
There were many long-term effects of pandemics in these communities. Perhaps most importantly, people organized themselves in ways that made it easier to live with diseases, manage them, and at the same time adhere to basic rules such as good hygiene, sanitation, and environmental control. Life did not stop because of epidemics: people made decisions and choices to live with them.
Some of these lessons can be applied to COVID-19, guiding decisions and choices to protect vulnerable people against the pandemic while allowing economic activity and other aspects of life to continue. As evidence from the past shows, social behavior is the first line of defense against pandemics: this is important to consider when planning for the ultimate post-pandemic future.
This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent, nonprofit news organization providing facts and authoritative analysis to help you understand our complex world. Written by: Shadreck Chirikure, Oxford University
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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 the British Academy Global Professorship at the School of Archaeology at the University of Oxford.