Archaeology Research

Paidamoyo recently joined us from Zimbabwe, working on the EU/UKRI funded AGRI-DRY project. She tells us a little about her background and her project: 

"I am an environmental archaeologist. My research explores relationships between prehistoric communities and the environment in southern Africa. I am interested in landscape archaeology, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications in archaeology and indigenous knowledge in food security and climate change.

I have a Special Honors Degree and a Master of Science in Archaeology. My work examines Early to Late Farming Communities of southern Africa and the spatial relations between their built and natural environments. I primarily use GIS tools and spatial statistics to analyze these relationships. I have grown to appreciate the wealth of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in understanding past and present communities and creating possible sustainable futures.

I recently joined Archaeology as a MSCA PhD Fellow on the AGRI-DRY project working on Changing Land Use over the Holocene: Southern Africa (PI: Prof Nicki Whitehouse). 

I am responsible for database development, GIS applications and modeling prehistoric land use and land use changes in southern Africa from 8000BCE to 1500CE. I study early agricultural systems, how these manifested in the ancient landscapes of southern Africa and more importantly, understand the impacts of these activities on modern climatic conditions. Another important aspect of this study is on southern African indigenous knowledge on farming and climate change as it allows for a different perspective when approaching early communities in southern Africa”

First published: 7 March 2025