The Archaeology of Hausa Rural Communities in the Pre-Jihad Period: Evidence from Katsina State

The pre-Jihad period of the Central Sudan, broadly encompassing the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, represents a formative era in the political and cultural history of what is now northern Nigeria, yet the rural archaeology of this period in Katsina State has received far less attention than the urban and palatial dimensions of Hausa civilization. This study investigates the material culture and settlement organization of rural Hausa communities in Katsina State during the pre-Jihad period, drawing on systematic survey of village sites, targeted test excavation at three high-priority localities, and comparative analysis with available published data from urban Katsina. Survey identified thirty-seven rural settlement localities in three LGAs with surface assemblages consistent with pre-nineteenth-century occupation, based on ceramic typology calibrated against excavated sequences at Katsina city. Test excavation at three sites yielded ceramics, iron objects, ground stone tools, and botanical macroremains providing evidence for crop cultivation, craft production, and material consumption patterns. Comparative analysis with urban assemblages reveals expected differences in access to imported prestige goods including glass beads and copper alloy objects, while ceramic technology and crop repertoire are broadly similar, suggesting strong cultural integration between urban and rural spheres. The study challenges the narrative of rural communities as culturally passive recipients of urban influence, arguing instead for an active and productive rural material tradition that contributed substantially to the economic base of the Katsina emirate. Keywords: Hausa archaeology, pre-Jihad period, rural communities, Katsina State, material culture.