The Bantu expansion archaeological debate

Record summary

The Bantu expansion refers to the spread of related languages and associated communities across much of central, eastern and southern Africa. Archaeologists, linguists and geneticists have debated whether it was a rapid migration, a series of movements, language shift through interaction or a combination of processes. The lead matters for comparing material culture, subsistence, iron production and population history without equating language with a biologically uniform people. Chronologies vary substantially by region, and archaeological visibility is uneven, especially in tropical environments.