The Kongo kingdom, which arose in the Atlantic Coast region of West-Central Africa, is a famous emblem of Africa's past yet little is still known of its origins and early history. This book sheds new light on that all important period and goes on to explain the significance of its cosmopolitan culture in the wider world. Bringing together different new strands of historical evidence as well as scholars from disciplines as diverse as anthropology, archaeology, art history, history and linguistics, it is the first book to approach the history of this famous Central African kingdom from a cross-disciplinary perspective. All chapters are written by distinguished and/or upcoming experts of Kongo history with a focus on political space, taking us through processes of centralisation and decentralisation, the historical politics of extraversion and internal dynamics, and the geographical distribution of aspects of material and immaterial Kongo culture.

The Kongo kingdom, which arose in the Atlantic Coast region of West-Central Africa, is a famous emblem of Africa's past yet little is still known of its origins and early history. This book sheds new light on that all important period and goes on to explain the significance of its cosmopolitan culture in the wider world. Bringing together different new strands of historical evidence as well as scholars from disciplines as diverse as anthropology, archaeology, art history, history and linguistics, it is the first book to approach the history of this famous Central African kingdom from a cross-disciplinary perspective. All chapters are written by distinguished and/or upcoming experts of Kongo history with a focus on political space, taking us through processes of centralisation and decentralisation, the historical politics of extraversion and internal dynamics, and the geographical distribution of aspects of material and immaterial Kongo culture.

Written by an international team of experts, this comprehensive volume presents grammatical analyses of individual Bantu languages, comparative studies of their main phonetic, phonological and grammatical characteristics and overview chapters on their history and classification. It is estimated that some 300 to 350 million people, or one in three Africans, are Bantu speakers. Van de Velde and Bostoen bring together their linguistic expertise to produce a volume that builds on Nurse and Philippson's first edition. The Bantu Languages, 2nd edition is divided into two parts; Part 1 contains 11 comparative chapters, and Part 2 provides grammar sketches of 12 individual Bantu languages, some of which were previously undescribed. The grammar sketches follow a general template that allows for easy comparison. Thoroughly revised and updated to include more language descriptions and the latest comparative insights. New to this edition: * new chapters on syntax, tone, reconstruction and language contact * 12 new sketch grammars * thoroughly updated chapters on phonetics, aspect-tense-mood and classification * exhaustive catalogue of known languages with essential references This unique resource remains the ideal reference for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students of Bantu linguistics and languages. It will be of interest to researchers and anyone with an interest in historical linguistics, linguistic typology and grammatical analysis.

Written by an international team of experts, this comprehensive volume presents grammatical analyses of individual Bantu languages, comparative studies of their main phonetic, phonological and grammatical characteristics and overview chapters on their history and classification. It is estimated that some 300 to 350 million people, or one in three Africans, are Bantu speakers. Van de Velde and Bostoen bring together their linguistic expertise to produce a volume that builds on Nurse and Philippson's first edition. The Bantu Languages, 2nd edition is divided into two parts; Part 1 contains 11 comparative chapters, and Part 2 provides grammar sketches of 12 individual Bantu languages, some of which were previously undescribed. The grammar sketches follow a general template that allows for easy comparison. Thoroughly revised and updated to include more language descriptions and the latest comparative insights. New to this edition: * new chapters on syntax, tone, reconstruction and language contact * 12 new sketch grammars * thoroughly updated chapters on phonetics, aspect-tense-mood and classification * exhaustive catalogue of known languages with essential references This unique resource remains the ideal reference for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students of Bantu linguistics and languages. It will be of interest to researchers and anyone with an interest in historical linguistics, linguistic typology and grammatical analysis.

Of all the great kingdoms that flourished in Africa, the Kongo is one of the most famous. It remains an important historical and cultural reference for Africans and their diaspora. The KongoKing inter-university project (2012-2016), funded by the European Research Council, aimed, through an interdisciplinary approach, to understand the origin of the kingdom and to shed light on the phenomena of political centralization, economic integration and linguistic evolution that took place there. This book presents in detail the results of archaeological research carried out by the KongoKing project in the former northern provinces of the Kongo Kingdom, currently located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. | De tous les grands royaumes qui fleurirent en Afrique, le royaume Kongo est l'un des plus celebres. Il reste une reference historique et culturelle importante pour les Africains et leur diaspora. Entraines tres tot dans le commerce de traite, les esclaves originaires de la region font que du Bresil a New York, en passant par les Caraibes, la culture Kongo a laisse de nombreuses traces. Le projet interuniversitaire KongoKing (2012-2016), finance par le Conseil Europeen de la Recherche a ete coordonne par Koen Bostoen, tandis que Bernard Clist et Pierre de Maret en ont dirige le volet archeologique. Ce projet visait par une approche interdisciplinaire a comprendre l'origine du royaume et a eclairer les phenomenes de la centralisation politique, d'integration economique et d'evolution linguistique qui s'y sont deroules . Cet ouvrage presente de facon detaillee les resultats des recherches archeologiques menees par le projet KongoKing dans les anciennes provinces septentrionales du royaume Kongo, situees actuellement en Republique Democratique du Congo. Dans une premiere partie on presente le contexte general, l'evolution du milieu, l'histoire du groupe linguistique kikongo et ce que l'on sait des periodes qui precedent le royaume, ainsi que des informations recoltees dans diverses sources historiques sur ces provinces. Les prospections et fouilles des differents sites etudies sont ensuite presentees. Puis vient le bilan des recherches archeologiques avec une synthese des datations, une esquisse de la sequence chrono-culturelle de la poterie kongo et les etudes systematiques des differents types de vestiges recoltes. Pour conclure, on presente la synthese de l'ensemble de ces decouvertes et la facon dont celles-ci viennent completer les donnees issues des autres disciplines pour eclairer d'un jour nouveau l'histoire du royaume Kongo.