Journal of African Archaeology

The Journal of African Archaeology is an international, peer-reviewed scholarly journal devoted to archaeological research concerning Africa. Established in 2003 by archaeologist Sonja Magnavita, it was created as a specialist publication serving research on the continent's long and diverse archaeological record, including studies of human origins, prehistoric societies, historical archaeology, material culture, archaeobotany, heritage, and related interdisciplinary approaches. The journal is published twice a year and provides a venue for original research articles and other scholarly contributions in African archaeology. From its establishment through 2016, the journal was published by the Centre for Interdisciplinary African Studies and the Department of African Archaeology and Archaeobotany at Goethe University Frankfurt, in association with Africa Magna Verlag. This institutional and publishing arrangement connected the journal to a German academic center with a specific focus on African archaeology and archaeobotanical research. From 2017 onward, the relevant Goethe University departments continued their association with the journal while working with Brill Publishers, an international academic publisher. The change broadened the journal's connection to established scholarly publishing and distribution infrastructure while retaining its disciplinary identity. The journal's subject scope is Africa-wide rather than restricted to one region, period, or methodological tradition. Its contents address archaeological questions across the continent and may engage with prehistory, ancient and medieval societies, historical periods, environmental evidence, subsistence, technology, settlement, trade, cultural interaction, and the interpretation and preservation of archaeological heritage. Its connection with archaeobotany also reflects the importance of environmental and plant remains in reconstructing past economies and landscapes. As a specialist journal, it serves archaeologists and researchers in related fields, including anthropology, history, environmental archaeology, and heritage studies. The Journal of African Archaeology is abstracted and indexed in major disciplinary and multidisciplinary services, including Anthropological Literature, the Arts and Humanities Citation Index, Current Contents/Arts & Humanities, EBSCO databases, the International Bibliography of Periodical Literature, the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, and Scopus. According to the Journal Citation Reports information cited for the journal, its 2022 impact factor was 1.4. These indexing and citation-service presences support its role as a recognized outlet for scholarly communication on African archaeology. Editorial leadership has included Sonja Magnavita, Peter Breunig, Katherine Grillo, Julia Budka, Foreman Bandama, Nikolas Gestrich, and Jacques Aymeric-Nsangou. Katherine Grillo is listed as editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2026, while Jacques Aymeric-Nsangou is listed for the period beginning in 2026. The journal remains an active specialist publication with an international scholarly readership and a publishing history rooted in Goethe University Frankfurt's African archaeology research community.

The Journal of African Archaeology was established in 2003 by Sonja Magnavita as a specialist peer-reviewed periodical devoted to archaeological research on Africa. Its creation reflected the development of an academic publishing platform closely associated with the African archaeology and archaeobotany research activities of Goethe University Frankfurt. The journal was designed as a biannual publication, giving researchers an international venue for presenting archaeological findings and interpretations concerning the African continent across different periods, regions, and methodological traditions. Between 2003 and 2016, the journal was published by the Centre for Interdisciplinary African Studies and the Department of African Archaeology and Archaeobotany at Goethe University Frankfurt in association with Africa Magna Verlag. This arrangement placed the publication within a research environment focused on interdisciplinary African studies and archaeological science. The journal's remit encompasses archaeological research broadly, with relevance to subjects such as human history, material culture, settlement, subsistence, technology, environmental evidence, and heritage. Its association with archaeobotany also points to the importance of plant remains and environmental reconstruction in the study of past African societies. A publishing transition took place in 2017, when the Goethe University departments continued publishing the journal in association with Brill Publishers. The transition connected the journal to a major international academic publishing house while maintaining its specialist focus and institutional roots. The journal continued as a biannual, peer-reviewed publication rather than becoming a general archaeology title, and its international distribution and scholarly visibility were supported by Brill's publishing infrastructure. The journal's academic standing is also reflected in its indexing. It is listed in Anthropological Literature, the Arts and Humanities Citation Index, Current Contents/Arts & Humanities, EBSCO databases, the International Bibliography of Periodical Literature, the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, and Scopus. These services place the journal within the discovery systems used by researchers in archaeology, anthropology, African studies, the humanities, and social sciences. The Journal Citation Reports information cited for the publication gives it a 2022 impact factor of 1.4. Editorial responsibility has passed through a number of scholars associated with African archaeology and related research. The listed editors-in-chief include founder Sonja Magnavita, Peter Breunig, Katherine Grillo, Julia Budka, Foreman Bandama, Nikolas Gestrich, and Jacques Aymeric-Nsangou. Grillo is identified as editor-in-chief for 2018–2026, and Aymeric-Nsangou is identified for the period beginning in 2026. The Journal of African Archaeology remains an active specialist journal with a Germany-based institutional history and an international academic scope.

• 2026

  Editorial leadership transition

  [1]Journal of African Archaeologyen.wikipedia.org

  Jacques Aymeric-Nsangou is listed as editor-in-chief beginning in 2026, following the period in which Katherine Grillo served from 2018 to 2026.

• 2022

  Reported impact factor

  [1]Journal of African Archaeologyen.wikipedia.org

  The Journal Citation Reports information cited for the journal reports a 2022 impact factor of 1.4.

• 2017

  Publishing association moved to Brill

  [1]Journal of African Archaeologyen.wikipedia.org

  After the 2003–2016 period associated with Africa Magna Verlag, Goethe University Frankfurt's relevant departments began publishing the journal in association with Brill Publishers.

• 2003

  Journal established

  [1]Journal of African Archaeologyen.wikipedia.org

  Sonja Magnavita established the Journal of African Archaeology as a biannual peer-reviewed publication focused on archaeological studies of Africa.

Specialist international academic journal for peer-reviewed research on African archaeology and related interdisciplinary fields.

• Academic journal · 2003

  Journal of African Archaeology

  A biannual peer-reviewed academic journal covering archaeological research on Africa. Its scope includes archaeological studies across the continent and related interdisciplinary work involving anthropology, archaeobotany, environmental evidence, material culture, ancient and historical societies, and archaeological heritage. The journal is distributed internationally and is indexed in major scholarly databases and citation services.

• 2017

  Change in publishing associationStrategy

  Background

  The journal had been published from 2003 to 2016 by Goethe University Frankfurt units in association with Africa Magna Verlag.

  Action taken

  Beginning in 2017, the relevant Goethe University departments published the journal in association with Brill Publishers.

  Aftermath

  The journal retained its specialist African archaeology focus while gaining a new publishing association and international academic distribution channel.

  Source

1. 1Journal of African Archaeologyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Journal of African Archaeology official websiteafrican-archaeology.de