From Pretoria to Maputo, the team shared research on mapping African archaeology at #PANAF2026. We're taking a short break until September—see you soon with more updates, fieldwork highlights, and exciting news from the MAEASaM Project!

Highlights from #ASAPA2026 in Mbombela, South Africa! 🌍🗺️ Our session, Mapping African Archaeology: Past and Present, sparked engaging discussions on archaeological cartography—from preserving historic paper maps to using airborne technologies to document African heritage.

Last week, our workshop on Constructing Heritage Databases from conceptualisation to implementation was held at ASAPA 2026 in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Thanks to all participants who joined on the day! #Workshop #AfricanHeritage #Databases #ASAPA2026

Do you or someone you know have expertise⬇️ Archaeological research, field documentation & survey, satellite imagery analysis & GIS in Africa Deadline 26 July 2026 🔗 Find out more tinyurl.com/GISFellow #jobopportunity #AfricanHeritage #UCLArchaeology #RemoteSensing #GIS #AfricanArchaeology

🌍See where we are in this week’s #HeritageFromAbove 🛰️ Today we zoom to an important site that has historically been regarded as the capital of a successor state… 🔎but do you know its name? Send your answer in the comments ⬇️ #AfricanHeritage #GoogleEarth #Wherearewe

Tata structures in Senegal continued... These defensive structures became widespread in Senegal and were central to the socio-political and economic interests of pre-colonial West African states. A prime example is the tata of Maba Diakhou Bâ. #GroundingHeritage #Tata #SenegalArchaeology

Today we journey to a place that has transformed our understanding of human evolution. This remarkable landscape preserves some of the world's oldest evidence of our ancestors, with fossils and ancient stone tools dating back millions of years... 🔎 Send your answer in the comments

📢Fieldwork in action! The MAEASaM team with #DBNMM conducted a 10 day field #rockart recording trip to the renowned #TsodiloHills in northern Botswana. #Collaboration #AfricanHeritage #Botswana #Dstretch #Fieldwork

🌍See where we are in this week’s #HeritageFromAbove 🛰️ Today we zoom to a unique site, the most massive stone-walled construction in West Africa dating back the early 16th Century…🔎but do you know its name? Send your answer in the comments ⬇️ #GoogleEarth #AfricanHeritage #Didyouknow

Bara perimeter wall is one of several defensive earthworks associated with Oyo-Ile, the former capital of the Oyo Empire, southwestern Nigeria. The enclosure dates between c. AD 1620 and 1837 and formed part of the broader defensive landscape of the Oyo capital. #GroundingHeritage #Didyouknow #Oyo

MAEASaM Project held a three-day archival digitisation workshop at NMK and BIEA (27–29 May 2026),bringing together participants from Kenya, Tanzania,and Ethiopia.The training focused on digitisation workflows,metadata, digital preservation,and the management of archaeological and heritage archives.

Last week, MAEASaM's Friederike Jürcke joined the CLARE CoHeRe workshop at the University of Cologne, discussing #climate change impacts on heritage and how heritage can inform adaptation policies. She also led a #QGIS session on data management and visualisation. #MAEASaM #CulturalHeritage

See where we are in this week’s #HeritageFromAbove Today we zoom to an important site that houses many fine-line rock paintings made by, but do you know its name? Send your answer in the comments. Stay tuned to find out more! #HeritageQuiz #Satelliteimagery #GoogleEath #Africanheritage #Rockart

Loopholed structures around Mount Fura in Zimbabwe are linked to the Mutapa State (ca. AD1450–1900). Built along rugged ridges and hilltops, these stone enclosures may have served as fortifications during periods of conflict and political instability.

Ready for this week’s #HeritageFromAbove? 🌍 Can you spot the feature… 🔎 These unique funerary features stand out in the wider region. Let us know your answer below — bonus points if you can name the site! #GoogleEarth #AfricanHeritage #WhereAreWe Image credits: © IFAN and ©Photo L. Laporte

Level up your GIS and digital heritage skills with the MAHSA & MAEASaM YouTube channel 🗺️💻 Explore our growing collection of playlists designed to build foundational knowledge in digital heritage management: www.youtube.com/@mahsa_maeas... @maeasamproject.bsky.social

A step-by-step guide of #digitising the #UNESCO site of Gorée Island: 1. georeferencing a historical map onto satellite imagery, 2. delineating the property boundary and buffer zone, 3. digitizing the sub-sites, 4. linking to metadata, and saving the data. Explore tdb.maeasam.org for Gorée Island

The week has flown by, which can only mean one thing…time for #HeritageFromAbove This site forms part of four larger archaeological sites in two countries, collectively featuring 93 stone circles...know where we are? Answer in the comments and good luck! Photo credit: Ikiwaner, 2008, CC-BY-SA-3.0

📢 Fort Bullen of The Gambia Part of #UNESCOWorldHeritageSite of Kunta Kinteh Island and Related Sites, Fort Bullen is in Barra, near the Gambia River mouth and built in 1826 as part of the abolition of the Atlantic Slave Trade. #AfricanHeritage #Archaeology #DefenceStructure

It's Friday...time for #HeritageFromAbove! Do you know where we are today? Remember to answer in the comments, and as always good luck!! #Heritagefromabove #Googleearth #DRC #Quiz

Using NDVI, we mapped vegetation-based visibility thresholds across 12 MAEASaM countries to identify where archaeological survey conditions are obscured, seasonal, partial, or highly visible. The project uses MODIS NDVI, Google Earth Engine, and QGIS workflows. #Encodingheritage #Googleearth

It’s Friday…time for #HeritageFromAbove 👀 Do you know where we are today? Hint: Once a 19th-century German fortress on the Swahili coast, the coral stone walls now house a luxury retreat. Can you guess where we are? Can you figure out where we are? Drop your answer in the comments below. #Quiz

Celebrating #Africa’sWorldHeritageDay 🌍 MAEASaM team share personal African heritage connections by choosing objects, places, or ideas that represent identity, memory, and tradition. These symbols connect us to ancestors, preserve stories, and pass cultural knowledge across generations. #MAEASaMteam

The Old Fort in #StoneTown #Zanzibar, with its thick coral stone walls, rounded bastions, crenellations, and grand entrance gateway, was not constructed for defence. Instead, it was built to control trade and display power. Explore more on the MAEASaM Demo database - tdb.maeasam.org

Time for #HeritageFromAbove Where are we? Do you know Hint: Not all of Sudan’s heritage lies on land. This protected site is home to coral reefs, sea turtles, dugongs, and the Red Sea’s only atoll-like reef system. Any guesses? Can you figure out where we are? #Africanarchaeology #Quiz

In the Rift I like to stay, Where ancient tools still shout “we’re here today!” Handaxes nap in dusty ground, While factory hums make modern sound. White powder drifts, old secrets mix— Can you name this spot? It’s quite the fix! #Heritagefromabove #HumanOrigins #AfricanArchaeology #Riftvally

#SiyuFort on Pate Island is part of the Swahili coast, an African network of settlements shaped by trade and cultural exchange. Built by local communities to resist Omani expansion, it reflects indigenous architecture, autonomy, and resistance along the coast. #SiyuFort #SwahiliCoast#Museumsofkenya

Time for #HeritageFromAbove Where are we? Do you know One of the last remaining examples of primary high forests in Nigeria. Attests to the once common practice of constructing sacred groves outside all settlements. Can you figure out where we are? #Heritagefromabove #Africanarchaeology #Quiz

Join us for #AfricanWorldHeritageDay2026! 🎉 On May 7, enjoy a hybrid event with flash talks and a guest lecture by Dr. Siyakha Mguni. Register now to secure your spot: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/maeasam-di... #MAEASaMAnnualLecture #Africanarchaeology #AfricanHeritage

What does it take to transform a forgotten landscape into structured archaeological data? At the German Fort site in Gashaka Gumti National Park, Taraba State, the process begins with LiDAR sensor data, capturing millions of elevation points across a heavily vegetated terrain.