Archaeology of Pemba Island
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Pemba Island is a large coral island off the coast of Tanzania. Inhabited by Bantu settlers from the Tanga coast since 600 AD, the island has a rich trading, agricultural, and religious history that has contributed to the studies of the Swahili Coast trade throughout the Indian Ocean.
The first evidence of inhabitation is in the seventh century AD at a site called Tumbe in Micheweni District of the island.[1] Linguistic and archaeological data suggest there is potential that the first inhabitants migrated from the mainland.[2] Towns continued to be founded around the island after Tumbe, and agricultural and ceramic artifacts show the people were farmers.