Documenting Abandoned Settlement Mounds in Sokoto State: A Preliminary Survey

Settlement mounds, known locally as dunes or tudu, are widespread across the semiarid landscape of Sokoto State and represent the accumulated debris of long-term occupation by farming and pastoralist communities over many centuries. Despite their prevalence, very few mounds in Sokoto have been formally recorded or assessed for archaeological potential. This study documents a sample of twenty mounds across three local government areas in Sokoto State, collecting surface materials, measuring mound dimensions, and recording landscape context using handheld GPS. Surface assemblages include iron slag, hand-modelled ceramics, ground stone tools, and occasional glass bead fragments, suggesting occupations ranging from the late Iron Age through the early Islamic period. The study applies a site typology framework adapted from recent work on mound landscapes in the Sahel zone, distinguishing between single-phase occupation mounds, multi-phase tells, and symbolic or ritual mounds. Interviews with local farmers and herders added contextual information about current land use and perceived significance of the mounds, several of which are venerated as ancestral resting places. The study finds that agricultural ploughing and clay extraction for brick-making are the primary threats to mound integrity in the survey area. It advocates for mound landscape mapping as a priority for the Sokoto State History Bureau and recommends the incorporation of mound survey data into the national sites and monuments register. Keywords: settlement mounds, Sokoto State, surface survey, Iron Age, Sahel archaeology.