This book presents the results of archaeological research in the extreme south of Madagascar between 1991 and 2003, and provides a synthesis of the regions archaeology. Madagascar is an island with many unique species of fauna and flora; its extreme south is a semi-arid region with remarkable vegetational adaptations. The project began as an ethnoarchaeological and ethnohistorical study of the origins and development of the monumental stone tombs which are built throughout the south, but expanded into a far wider archaeological study. The contributors trace the phases of the region's history from the first human colonisation and the extinction of much of the island's megafauna to the growth and collapse of the Manda civilization, contact with Europeans and right up to the present day.

The first in the book series Studies in the African Past was published in 2001, consisting of reports produced by the archaeology research project, 'Human Responses and Contribution to Environmental Change'. The new research initiative developed out of this project is known as the 'African Archaeology Network'. This is investigating how ancient African societies exploited resources, developed settlements and established long-distance trade networks. A pan-African project, it aims to develop new models to understand how ancient communities adjusted and responded to political and environmental upheavals; and to demonstrate the potential for more research in the different areas of African archaeology.