Isaac Samuel
@rhaplord.bsky.social
Finance | History | Trance
Patreon http://patreon.com/isaacsamuel64
Substack https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/
Patreon http://patreon.com/isaacsamuel64
Substack https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/
Pinned
The surgeons and physicians of pre-colonial Bunyoro and Buganda: a caesarean section at Kahura, ca. 1879.
www.patreon.com/posts/149046...
www.patreon.com/posts/149046...
Architecture of Djenne, Mali, ca. 1897
#archivesxt
#archivesxt
February 5, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Architecture of Djenne, Mali, ca. 1897
#archivesxt
#archivesxt
Diai-Boukari, a marabout from Futa Toro, Senegal. ca. 1820
Amar, Queen of Juida (Ouidah). Benin. ca. 1849
Representation of costumes from Senegal in 1888.
#ethnographxt
Amar, Queen of Juida (Ouidah). Benin. ca. 1849
Representation of costumes from Senegal in 1888.
#ethnographxt
February 5, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Diai-Boukari, a marabout from Futa Toro, Senegal. ca. 1820
Amar, Queen of Juida (Ouidah). Benin. ca. 1849
Representation of costumes from Senegal in 1888.
#ethnographxt
Amar, Queen of Juida (Ouidah). Benin. ca. 1849
Representation of costumes from Senegal in 1888.
#ethnographxt
Colonial writers claimed that the stone ruins of Engaruka and western Kenya were built by an ancient ‘Azanian civilization’ of Hamitic stock,
supposedly because the present inhabitants were too “barbarous to have learned it themselves.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/who-built-...
supposedly because the present inhabitants were too “barbarous to have learned it themselves.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/who-built-...
February 4, 2026 at 2:43 PM
Colonial writers claimed that the stone ruins of Engaruka and western Kenya were built by an ancient ‘Azanian civilization’ of Hamitic stock,
supposedly because the present inhabitants were too “barbarous to have learned it themselves.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/who-built-...
supposedly because the present inhabitants were too “barbarous to have learned it themselves.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/who-built-...
dams, canals, and stone terraces at Engaruka
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/who-built-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/who-built-...
February 4, 2026 at 2:07 PM
dams, canals, and stone terraces at Engaruka
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/who-built-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/who-built-...
In the 15th century, a community of Iron Age farmers constructed over 2,000 ha of stone terraces, fields, and canals at Engaruka, Tanzania
“At a distance, the extreme regularity and precision of the terraces is strangely reminiscent of an amphitheater.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/who-built-...
“At a distance, the extreme regularity and precision of the terraces is strangely reminiscent of an amphitheater.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/who-built-...
Who Built Engaruka? (ca. 1400-1800): Stone Architecture and Historical Controversies in Eastern Africa
During the 15th century, a community of Iron Age farmers constructed an extensive landscape of stone-terraces, stone-lined fields, house platforms, stone circles and irrigation canals covering over 2,...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
February 4, 2026 at 11:51 AM
In the 15th century, a community of Iron Age farmers constructed over 2,000 ha of stone terraces, fields, and canals at Engaruka, Tanzania
“At a distance, the extreme regularity and precision of the terraces is strangely reminiscent of an amphitheater.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/who-built-...
“At a distance, the extreme regularity and precision of the terraces is strangely reminiscent of an amphitheater.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/who-built-...
“Colonial writers claimed that the stone ruins of Engaruka were built by an ancient ‘Azanian civilization’ of Hamitic stock,
supposedly because the present inhabitants were too “barbarous to have learned it themselves.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/who-built-...
supposedly because the present inhabitants were too “barbarous to have learned it themselves.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/who-built-...
Who Built Engaruka? (ca. 1400-1800): Stone Architecture and Historical Controversies in Eastern Africa
During the 15th century, a community of Iron Age farmers constructed an extensive landscape of stone-terraces, stone-lined fields, house platforms, stone circles and irrigation canals covering over 2,...
www.africanhistoryextra.com
February 4, 2026 at 11:48 AM
“Colonial writers claimed that the stone ruins of Engaruka were built by an ancient ‘Azanian civilization’ of Hamitic stock,
supposedly because the present inhabitants were too “barbarous to have learned it themselves.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/who-built-...
supposedly because the present inhabitants were too “barbarous to have learned it themselves.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/who-built-...
The stubborn resilience of “artificial” borders:
“Wherever the state retreated, a warlord filled the authority vacuum
Because in an order defined by a Hobbesian struggle for survival, a flawed border offered more predictability than the abyss of anarchy.”
warontherocks.com/2026/02/the-...
“Wherever the state retreated, a warlord filled the authority vacuum
Because in an order defined by a Hobbesian struggle for survival, a flawed border offered more predictability than the abyss of anarchy.”
warontherocks.com/2026/02/the-...
The Middle East’s Westphalian Moment? From Chaos to Realism
Recall the image etched in memory: a bulldozer driven by fighters of the self-proclaimed Islamic State smashing through the earthen berm on the Iraq-Syria
warontherocks.com
February 3, 2026 at 10:52 AM
The stubborn resilience of “artificial” borders:
“Wherever the state retreated, a warlord filled the authority vacuum
Because in an order defined by a Hobbesian struggle for survival, a flawed border offered more predictability than the abyss of anarchy.”
warontherocks.com/2026/02/the-...
“Wherever the state retreated, a warlord filled the authority vacuum
Because in an order defined by a Hobbesian struggle for survival, a flawed border offered more predictability than the abyss of anarchy.”
warontherocks.com/2026/02/the-...
It's almost impossible to describe the ethnic mosaic that was pre-colonial Africa
On this small island, barely 40 miles long, there were at least six different ethnic groups!
and this number only includes those we know from the written sources
On this small island, barely 40 miles long, there were at least six different ethnic groups!
and this number only includes those we know from the written sources
February 2, 2026 at 3:08 PM
It's almost impossible to describe the ethnic mosaic that was pre-colonial Africa
On this small island, barely 40 miles long, there were at least six different ethnic groups!
and this number only includes those we know from the written sources
On this small island, barely 40 miles long, there were at least six different ethnic groups!
and this number only includes those we know from the written sources
Reposted by Isaac Samuel
Nice article about one of my favorite regions of the world and an under-appreciated island that is part of it.
February 1, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Nice article about one of my favorite regions of the world and an under-appreciated island that is part of it.
a very rare photo of an outrigger on the Swahili coast near Pemba, Tanzania
ca. 1880-1950
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
ca. 1880-1950
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
February 1, 2026 at 6:50 PM
a very rare photo of an outrigger on the Swahili coast near Pemba, Tanzania
ca. 1880-1950
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
ca. 1880-1950
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
The Bazaar, mosque, and fort of Chake-Chake, Pemba, Tanzania, ca. 1913
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
February 1, 2026 at 6:45 PM
The Bazaar, mosque, and fort of Chake-Chake, Pemba, Tanzania, ca. 1913
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
Bullfighting in Pemba, Tanzania. ca. 1919
Initially thought to be a relic of the Portuguese occupation of the island, the ‘mchezo wa ng’ombe’ of Pemba actually bears little resemblance to the Portuguese tauromachia, and likely predated their arrival
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
Initially thought to be a relic of the Portuguese occupation of the island, the ‘mchezo wa ng’ombe’ of Pemba actually bears little resemblance to the Portuguese tauromachia, and likely predated their arrival
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
February 1, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Bullfighting in Pemba, Tanzania. ca. 1919
Initially thought to be a relic of the Portuguese occupation of the island, the ‘mchezo wa ng’ombe’ of Pemba actually bears little resemblance to the Portuguese tauromachia, and likely predated their arrival
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
Initially thought to be a relic of the Portuguese occupation of the island, the ‘mchezo wa ng’ombe’ of Pemba actually bears little resemblance to the Portuguese tauromachia, and likely predated their arrival
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
17th-century side-blow ivory horn (siwa). Lamu, Kenya.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
February 1, 2026 at 6:36 PM
17th-century side-blow ivory horn (siwa). Lamu, Kenya.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
Ruins of Ras Mkumbuu, Pemba, Tanzania
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
February 1, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Ruins of Ras Mkumbuu, Pemba, Tanzania
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
Medieval coral architecture at Chwaka, Pemba, Tanzania.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
February 1, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Medieval coral architecture at Chwaka, Pemba, Tanzania.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
Map of the stone towns and cities of the East African coast
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
February 1, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Map of the stone towns and cities of the East African coast
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
Reposted by Isaac Samuel
If I had the time and energy to learn the skills I needed I would love to go and study the precolonial Swahili coast. It’s extraordinary! Mercantile city states throwing out networks of trade that lead across the Indian Ocean all the way to China, bringing wealth back to a polyglot African society.
Forgotten Cities of the Swahili Coast: A history of Pemba in the Medieval Indian Ocean World (ca. 600-1822 CE)
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
Forgotten Cities of the Swahili coast: A history of Pemba in the Medieval Indian Ocean World (ca. 600-1822 CE)
Journal of African Cities: chapter 19
www.africanhistoryextra.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:29 PM
If I had the time and energy to learn the skills I needed I would love to go and study the precolonial Swahili coast. It’s extraordinary! Mercantile city states throwing out networks of trade that lead across the Indian Ocean all the way to China, bringing wealth back to a polyglot African society.
‘The citadel of Pujini on Pemba contains a shrine dedicated to land/sea spirits, and buried fingo pots for spiritual protection, suggesting strong links to the African mainland.’
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
Forgotten Cities of the Swahili coast: A history of Pemba in the Medieval Indian Ocean World (ca. 600-1822 CE)
Journal of African Cities: chapter 19
www.africanhistoryextra.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:20 PM
‘The citadel of Pujini on Pemba contains a shrine dedicated to land/sea spirits, and buried fingo pots for spiritual protection, suggesting strong links to the African mainland.’
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
“Despite its modest size, the island of Pemba is home to the densest concentration of stone architecture on the East African coast.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
Forgotten Cities of the Swahili coast: A history of Pemba in the Medieval Indian Ocean World (ca. 600-1822 CE)
Journal of African Cities: chapter 19
www.africanhistoryextra.com
February 1, 2026 at 4:48 PM
“Despite its modest size, the island of Pemba is home to the densest concentration of stone architecture on the East African coast.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
Forgotten Cities of the Swahili Coast: A history of Pemba in the Medieval Indian Ocean World (ca. 600-1822 CE)
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
Forgotten Cities of the Swahili coast: A history of Pemba in the Medieval Indian Ocean World (ca. 600-1822 CE)
Journal of African Cities: chapter 19
www.africanhistoryextra.com
February 1, 2026 at 4:42 PM
Forgotten Cities of the Swahili Coast: A history of Pemba in the Medieval Indian Ocean World (ca. 600-1822 CE)
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/forgotten-...
Tomorrow's article is about the island of Pemba
January 31, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Tomorrow's article is about the island of Pemba
January 30, 2026 at 4:04 PM
Sketches from Madagascar - Antananarivo
Illustrated London News, ca. 1858
Royal Geographical Society, ca. 1865
#archivesxt
#historyxt
Illustrated London News, ca. 1858
Royal Geographical Society, ca. 1865
#archivesxt
#historyxt
January 30, 2026 at 3:58 PM
Sketches from Madagascar - Antananarivo
Illustrated London News, ca. 1858
Royal Geographical Society, ca. 1865
#archivesxt
#historyxt
Illustrated London News, ca. 1858
Royal Geographical Society, ca. 1865
#archivesxt
#historyxt
January 30, 2026 at 3:47 PM
The King of Dahomey's Amazons crossing a swamp on the march,
ca. 1890, Benin.
Hausa warrior, Kano.
ca. 1939, Nigeria.
#ethnographxt
ca. 1890, Benin.
Hausa warrior, Kano.
ca. 1939, Nigeria.
#ethnographxt
January 29, 2026 at 3:54 PM
The King of Dahomey's Amazons crossing a swamp on the march,
ca. 1890, Benin.
Hausa warrior, Kano.
ca. 1939, Nigeria.
#ethnographxt
ca. 1890, Benin.
Hausa warrior, Kano.
ca. 1939, Nigeria.
#ethnographxt