Staff Profiles

 M.A. (Austin, Texas) PhD (Wits)

Dr. Phenyo Churchill Thebe is a Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Botswana (UB). He completed MA in Anthropology (Archaeology) at the University of Texas at Austin. He received his doctorate for “Ethnoarchaeology of Pottery: Style and Technology Boundaries in Southeast Botswana under the supervision of Professor Karim Sadr. Early in his career, Dr. Thebe worked as Tsodilo Hills Project Coordinator where he oversaw the implementation of the management plan and the nomination of Tsodilo Hills as a World Heritage Site. He represents UB in the National World Heritage Commitee.

Dr. Thebe is an archaeologist contributing to the following research areas in southern Africa a) Ceramics b) Ethnoarchaeology c) Cultural Heritage d) Contract Archaeology e) Rock Art f) Petrography and pXRF Analysis g) Archeomagnetic Studies

He has co-authored a book with James Denbow titled Culture and Customs of Botswana with over 30,000 copies sold internationally. The book is shortlisted by the American Reference Library for the American Congressmen’s special readings on Africa. Dr. Thebe is the author of over 20 academic articles, a book chapter and a book review.

Dr. Thebe’s recent work focuses on ancient metallurgy in the Tswapong Hills. The project is now expanded to Magagarape, one of the oldest Iron Age sites in Botswana and contract archaeology in southern Africa. He is also working on the use of indigenous knowledge to improve live hoods of local communities

Ceramics

Research Methods and Proposal

Field Techniques (School)

Ethnoarchaeology

Ceramics

Material Culture

Cultural Heritage Management

Contract Archaeology

Archaeo-metallurgy

Rock Art

Petrography and PXRF

Archaeological Heritage Management

Ceramics

Contract Archaeology

Public Archaeology

Denbow J. and Thebe P. C. (2006). Culture and Customs of Botswana, Greenwood Publishers, West Port, Connecticut.

Thebe, P. C. (2006). Intangible Heritage Management, Does the World Heritage Listing Help? In Of the Past, for the Future: Integrating Archaeology and Conservation, Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles.

Wilmsen E., Thebe P. C., Killick D. and Rosenstein D. D. (2009). The (Social Geography of Pottery in Botswana as Reconstructed by Optical Petrography), to in Journal of African Prehistory, col. 7 (1):3-39.

Thebe P.C, Wilmsen E., Killick D. and Rosenstein D. D. (2009). (Mmopi le mmopa - potter and clay: making pottery in Botswana today and long ago), in Botswana Notes and Record Vol. 41, pp 25-38.

Thebe P. C. (2011). Contract Archaeology in Botswana: The Case of Botswana Development Corporation Project at Mamuno), in Botswana Notes and Record Vol. 43, pp. 151-164.