Equatorial Guinea is not unknown in archeology despite what we think at times. A first glance at the bibliography of this theme reveals a total of 22 titles which are specifically archeological and 15 radiocarbon dates. This relatively meager amount of information makes it difficult to understand the quality of works  carried out by Spanish archaeologists which however is evident through the  communications of the fifties and sixties (for example: Martin del Molino, 1960, 1965; Panyella, 1959; Perramon, 1968). 

From an administrative and a geographical perspective, one can distinguish the Bioko island situated at a certain distance from and Cameroon from the littoral province borded by Cameroon in the North and Gabon in the South (fig 1). To these territories one can add the (big and small) islands of Annobon, Corisco and Elobey. We come out with a total of 28.051.46km² for a population 325.690 inhabitants, who are believed to reside within the national territory (most Equatorial Guineans went on exile from 1968 because of the dictatorship of Macias Nguema). 

From an archaeological perspective, the research carried out on the deposits of the Bioko Island which has enabled the re-establishment of a continuous cultural sequence of the occupation of this province since 560 AD. An older phase is known, undated and without ceramic. We can refer to latest publication of A. Martin del Molino which is more complete than precedent publications (Martin del Molino 1989). Moreover, to this synthesis, one can include the opinion sampling that was carried out in 1987 which led to the reexamination of the stratigraphy of the Carboneras site and the obtention of three new dates 14C in collaboration with P. de Maret (clist, 1991b and chart 1 below), as well as other mining works  on the littoral province.

Following the remarks of A. Martin del Molino in 1989, research initiated by H.R Perramon in the Littoral Province, the first of this type to be carried out in this part of Equatorial Guinea was suddenly interrupted by Independence and the coming of Macias Nguéma’s regime in October 1968.  

In 1985, a prospection on archaeology revamped field work in this province (cast, 1987). Opinion sampling was carried out in Akom and Ayene on the most interesting deposits and some was carried to be dated 14C. knowledge of the distribution map before prospection was enriched (fig.2). The reception of radiocarbon dates has since led to the confrontation of Equatorial Guinea’s archaeological material to other general cultural heritage that were studied in 1985 in border regions such as Gabon (clist, 1995) as well as other possibilities brought about by the confrontation of historical elements, oral traditions and linguistic history (Vansina, 1991).

Today, with the necessary backward step due to works published after my research in 1985, one can draw a balance sheet of our knowledge on the littoral province. Even if it does not change the province, the balance sheet can however lead to a modification of some local occupations as well as information on the migration and occupation of the Bioko Island (Vansina, 1991, PP. 177-189). 

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Carved stones were discovered on deposits in Banapa, Mongola and Lopelo of the island of Bioko. Excavations at the Banapa site have produced a stratigraphy which enables the exposition of carved objects on a basalt before all the ceramic industries in Bioko island (Martin del Molino, 1989). Only the stratigraphic position and the lack of associated potteries can make one to imagine a date behind 1 BC. Compared to the recent Age continental sites, a date such as c.2.000 BC is not impossible. For this reason, taking into account the types of marine regression / transgression of the Gulf of Guinea (Giresse, 1989), one notices that towards 6000BC, it was still possible to cross from the continent to the island on foot; if we acknowledge the fact that the Paleolithic man did not possess the means of maritime transport, then those sites are at least 8000 years (clist, 1991 a).

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Our knowledge of the Littoral province has many loopholes. It goes without saying that given the important discoveries carried out in South Cameroon and neighboring Gabon where real cultural groups are known and dated nowadays (Clist, 1995), it is improbable not to find similar deposits in Equatorial Guinea which is somehow a geographical meeting point between the Obobogo tradition (Cameroon) and the Okala tradition (Gabon) (Clist, 1997). As concerns the Bioka island, we can refer to the sequence defined by Spanish researchers (Martin del Molino and Panyella, see bibliography). On the continent, we only know of the polishers at the mouth of rivers (Hanje, Punta Yoni, Bata, Mikingchi, Ndimelang) and two deposits where axes made of carved stone were picked up on the surface (Midong, Akom ).

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At the moment iron is not ascertained on the Bioko island before the XIXth century (Vansina, 1991). The cultural sequence continues on a contant basis from 560 AD to present day. thanks to the work of the Spanish, some Archaeological sites in pottery and richly decorated in different styles became known in the Littoral Province (Perramon, 1968). In the Bata region of the northern province, many communities have established since 700 years as it is confirmed by the opinion sounding of the Akom site which is dated 1210 – 1300 AD (fig 1 and chart1). On the economic level, a pit in Akom furnished among others carbonized shells of Elaeis Guineans,  carbon shells of the coula edulis tree. These same shells were discovered through an excavation in Gabon at the Oveng site. They are dated 150-600AD (Clist, 1995). Pits in Akom are small, they have an average diameter of 0.6 metre wide and a depth of 1.1metre. They are filled in an homogenous manner with a concentration of archaeological materials which embodies the discreet filling phases.

My works along the Atlantic coast have revealed the interest of a study of living sites during the iron Age in the Littoral province. Indeed, like in Gabon, the archaeological levels of the last millennium are well conserved in the first recovery decimeters. Opinion ampling at Punta Eviondo near Bata (01^o 54’ 12”N.) 09^o 47’ 54”E), on the beach and the Catholic mission of Mbini (01^o 35’N., 09^o36”E.), at Bomudi (01^o 35’N., 09^o36”E.) have come across the archaeological levels,  buried below – 45 centimetres for some (Mbini and Bomudi Catholic Mission, Clist, 1987).

As concern Ayene, situated on the northern bank of Rio  Muni, the sifting of sample sediments stocked in the laboratory have not enabled the collection of fish bones or those of any other fauna as was the case of the now well known deposits of Oveng in Gabon (Van Neer et Clist, 1991). Concerning the paleo – economy, it should be noted that in the lentil shell collection and the detretic repulson encountered at the wings of the summit, there is the existence of the following species: Tympanotonus fuscatus, Tympanotonus fuscatus radula, Ostrea tulipa, Thais nodosa. It is interesting to highlight that these are the same species which were collected on the contemporary Gabonese sites of the Angondje group. Today, it is striking to notice that the Production in the southern part of that province, that is Rio Muni as well as the Elobey islands, situated partially following my findings at Ayene towards 1290 – 1420 AD, are strangely similar to the production of goup angondje of the north western part of Gabon (Clist, 1995). Following my recent analysis, it is possible to associate the sites of Equatorial Guinea to those of contemporary Gabon, the same pearl in burned earth, the same decorative styles, the same shape of collar and lips of containers, the same prehensian buttons for decorating the covers, as well as the consumption of the same Mollusc. Chronology also intervenes to comfort the out lined parental type: the site of groupe d’Agondje are dated 1000-1500AD (Clist, 1995 et fig.1) 

The closeness between Equatorial Guinea are strengthened by the production study of a group called Ildu in the North West of Gabon. Chronologically, this is earlier to the group Angondje which is dated 600 – 1000 AD. Some containers discovered in pits directly have certain similarities with the pottery discovered by Martin del Molino on the Bioko island (1965, fig 10B 1) and on the other hand, Guinean dates are consistant with to those obtained in Gabon, (Peyrot, Clist et Oslishy, 1990). However, the rest of Bioko island production cannot be close to that of group II of Gabon. 

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As I mentioned earlier, it is not probable that the cultural period from the recent stone age to the Neolithic inclusive and which is still to be excavated in the littoral province was different from the one discovered in Cameroon, in the North and similar to the one in southern Gabon. 

Nevertheless, Archeological data show that, during the iron age, between 600 and 1000 AD, there were contacts between the gabonese north west coast and the Bioko island. On the other hand, the southern part of the littoral province maintained close ties with north East Gabon during the following period 100 0 1500AD. These contacts were characterized by the production of similar tools on the iron fields around the Muni region and the Elobey Islands. They exploited, Mangore ecosystems for, similar purposes. They were part of the Angondje group which distinguished itself in 1994 and 1995. it is during this same period that we locate the “great Migration” as portrayed in the oral traditions of the Bubi who originally inhabited this island. It is believed that four groups of immigrants penetrated into the island passing through its south and south East coastal region (Vansina 1991). The dissimilarities between the traditions of the angondje and the Boloapi tribes (1200 – 1500 AD) as well as the 250 kilometers as the crow flies that separated the island from this coastal region (see fig 1) show that the immigrants didn’t came from the littoral. They probably came from Cameroon unfortunately, up till date archeologists have shown little or no interest in this region.

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1. CLIST B. (1987): 1985 fieldwork in Equatorial Guinea. Nyame Akuma, 28, pp.8-9.

2. CLIST B. (1991a): Age de la Pierre Récent: Guinée-Equatoriale. in LANFRANCHI R. et CLIST B. éds., Aux origines de l'Afrique Centrale. Ministère de la Coopération / Centre culturel français de Libreville / Sépia, Paris, pp.105-106.

3. CLIST B. (1991b): Néolithique: Guinée-Equatoriale. in LANFRANCHI R. et CLIST B. éds., Aux origines de l'Afrique Centrale. Ministère de la Coopération / Centre culturel français de Libreville / Sépia, Paris, pp.161-164.

4. CLIST B. (1995): Gabon: 100.000 ans d'Histoire. Centre Culturel français Saint Exupéry / Ministère de la Coopération, Paris, 380 pages.

5. GIRESSE P. (1989): Quaternary sea-level changes on the Atlantic coast of Africa. in TOOLEY M.J. et SHENNAN I. éds., Sea-level changes, Basil Blackwell, London, pp.249-275.

6. MARTIN DEL MOLINO A. (1960): Tipologia de la ceramica de Fernando Poo. Estudos del Instituto Claretiano de Africanistas, 1, Santa Isabel, 36 pages.

7. MARTIN DEL MOLINO A. (1965): Secuencia cultural en el neolitico de Fernando Poo. Trabajos de prehistoria del Seminario de Historia Primitiva del Hombre del Universidade de Madrid, 17, 53 pages, 17 photographies.

8. MARTIN DEL MOLINO A. (1989): Prehistoria de Guinea Ecuatorial. Africa 2000, IV, II, 10-11, pp.4-21.

9. PANYELLA A. (1959): El poblado neolitico de Playa Carboneras (Fernando Poo). Africa, 205, pp.5-9.

10. PERRAMON R.H. (1968): Contribucion a la prehistoria y protohistoria de Rio Muni, Publicaciones del Instituto Claretiano de Africanistas, 26, Santa Isabel, 20 pages, 12 figures.

11. PEYROT B., CLIST B. et OSLISLY R. (1990): Le gisement des "Sablières" de Libreville: étude géomorphologique et archéologique d'un site préhistorique de l'Estuaire du Gabon. L'Anthropologie, 94, 3, pp.483-498.

12. STUIVER M. et REIMER P.J. (1993): Extended 14C data base and revised CALIB 3.0 age calibration program. Radiocarbon, 35, 1, pp.215-230.

13. VAN NEER W. et CLIST B. (1991): Le site de l'Age du Fer Ancien d'Oveng (Province de l'Estuaire, Gabon), analyse de sa faune et de son importance pour la problématique de l'expansion des locuteurs bantu en Afrique centrale. Comptes-rendus de l'Académie des sciences de Paris, 312, II, pp.105-110.

14. VANSINA J. (1991): Sur les sentiers du passé en forêt: les cheminements de la tradition politique ancienne de l'Afrique équatoriale. Enquêtes et documents d'histoire africaine, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, 407 pages.

Figure 1: distribution Card archeological sites of the Province of the Guinée-Equatoriale Littoral and archeological sites of the d'Angondjé Group (tiretés). 

1. Akom 2. Ayene 3. Ayene - portugues Fortin 4. Bata 5. Bata - airport 6. Bata - beach of the airport 7. Bidyung 8. Bomudi 9. Corisco Campamento 10. Clatrava 11. Cueva of Eneng (Maria Avé) 12. Big Elobey 13. Icunde 14. Ibelo Isla 15. Mbini 1 16. Mbini 2 17. Mbini 3 - Catholic mission 18. Mbini 4 - beach 19. Midong 20. Ndama 21. Nseng Ndumu 22. Niefang 23. Nsang 24. Eseng Oveng 25. Butika Punta 26. Yeke Punta 27. Yoni Punta 28. Ecucu Rio 29. Handye Rio 30. Udinga 31.
Ulato Corisco. 

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