Kirikongo (Mouhoun Bend) – Iron Age Mounds
Kirikongo · Mouhoun Bend
Iron Age·Bwa / Mouhoun·🇧🇫 Boucle du Mouhoun, Douroula Department, Mouhoun Province, Burkina Faso
About
About Kirikongo (Mouhoun Bend) – Iron Age Mounds
Tell cluster of 13 mounds (100 BCE–1600 CE) showing egalitarian agrarian villages resisting hierarchy. Iron smelting, shea, cattle, beaded ceramics; ancestor compound mound model vs state-formation. Recorded context — Period: Iron Age; Culture: Bwa / Mouhoun; Field status: partially excavated; Materials: limestone, sandstone; Condition: ruins.
Why it mattersSignificant regional centre illustrating cultural transition.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology refinement
- 02Function of enclosures
Theories
- 01Trade corridor model
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 100 BCE–1600 CE
- Period
- Iron Age
- Culture
- Bwa / Mouhoun
- Purpose
- Regional centre / fortified town and trade node
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
100 BCE–1600 CE
Initial construction
c. 1034 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
12.1500° N · 3.3500° E · 280 m · 2 mapped features