The essays in this book provide important reminders of the dynamic character of Africa's later past. Rather than a continent woken from a timeless sleep by the intrusion of European colonialism, an image that dies hard in the Western world's imagination, we are given a series of insights into major elements of change over the last few thousand years and some indication of the interplay of change and continuity during that period. Each contributor presents a discussion arising arising from his or her own research, throwing important light on some of the multi-faceted complexity of Africa's later past.