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(Source : Pierre cylinder and Adrien mile. Notes preliminary excavations and surveys in July-August 1966. Bulletin of the Malagasy Academy – Volume XLIV-II)

ANTSOHERIBORY : a counter antalaotra from Northwestern Madagascar

Description of the island of Antsoheribory and the archaeological sites.

-SITE III – Dwelling in ruins of 12 m on 3,95 m, had two entrances to the North of 0,95 m wide and its plan was probably similar to the House of the following site.

-IV SITE – Home of 12, 50 m on 3,50 m ; She was also two doors to the North which were framed declarative niches. A wall divided the inside toward the eastern part. The wall has 3,20 m of height above the ground current. Cavities at about 1,50 m high, could be the location of a floor but it seems difficult to pronounce in the absence of excavations. The external base of the walls includes a layer of black basalt. Deadly openings had been manufactured in high walls East and West.
An Arab character appears in indoors plastering.

-SITE V – Two tombs of the same type as those of the site II, with external rectangular panels, roof and doors to the framing of polished coral. But these are West.
The frame can be found for the burial of the South.
In the longitudinal direction, two central beams supported a series of cross-cutting rafters built into walls. These recessed ends resting on beams above the walls. When the wood is corrupt, the frame has collapsed.
-SITE VI – Includes six funerary enclosure one is without external panels. The five others are West a framed door of coral. The four most northerly are overcome their 'wings' made up of bleachers angled. Bowls and dishes decorated the external facades. One of these tombs was a dome, view still in place by Jully. The East enclosure contains a low Tomb to wings. Two small pillars at the ends East and West mark the position of the body. One has a cavity for the burners. The door of the pen still leaves see the holes of the tenons of the upper lintel.

-SITE VII – is the funeral complex of more remarkable because it includes 25 isolated graves and funerary enclosure.
The most illustrious graves are those of Kambamba sultan, and his brother Manafi. Both are high monuments, with wings in the upper corners. Plastered panels compartmentalize the external facades. West doors have excellent supervision of coral carved with bowls locations in the eardrums. Ceramics were many on these tombs of sultans and it remains more than a fragment of pottery blue and white recessed in the south corner.
Inside of each grave stands a pillar of octagonal section.
There are a variety of types in this funeral complex :
-rectangular graves at ground level which some at the foot of great graves contain remains of slaves ;
-rectangular wings without Panel enclosure or the aunt is based (angovavy) the Sultan and whose people still read the name head : TIRIDIALLAH (daughter of) RASSOULLAH ;
-graves at roof of masonry with ornate entrance to coral as in the case of sites II and V.
-series of enclosure panels attached successively with the angles of ceramics decoration ;
-small low graves panels and wings ; enclosure panels decorated with ceramic with a masonry on the middle of the walls is willing terraced and West ;
-small rectangular grave whose roof in broken cradle is still in place.
A large number of burial possess inside, halfway up the cavity, in the form of loopholes that were used to drop perfumes burned.

-SITE VIII – formed of rectangular set 4 tombs typestyle. The North West has a door to the West framed coral and was covered with a masonry roof. The others are pens to wings and panels but without doors.
All were decorated with ceramics.

-IX SITE – is the current cemetery. We notice a low Tomb to wings, 3 masonry enclosure, low rectangular graves. The most recent are cemented and bear the names of the deceased.
The location where the lime môtier was preparing is to the North West Cove (X). We used the shells of Pyrazus palustris burned. Coral for the parties decorated buildings are mined in the sea near Kingany.
The East peak contains a sakalava Doany near a stand of baobabs.
In the sea all from are immersed blocks of basalt which reported a volcanic region (Nosy Be ?) could be filed by manufacturers or simply transported as ballast.
A mound in the South of the mosque was searched by a well of 2 m. The sterile soil was met at 2,05 m depth. Horizons contained import pearls, fragments of glass and iron, Malagasy pottery in large quantities and a few shards of imported ceramics. In the deepest part, There was chunks of green Islamic pottery, imitated Chinese celadon (Seventeenth century) then blue and white Chinese ; the pottery of Aden ( ?) of the eighteenth century to the white and blue Chinese.
The first works reveal so that Antsoheribory sites are hardly older than the beginning of the 17th century or the end of the 16th.
If the excavations do not update in other parts of the island of Antsoheribory of vestiges of the beginning of the sixteenth century, We have to conclude that this was not the place Da Cunha bombarda in 1506. This oldest site could easily be located at the entrance of the Bay close to Kingany where exist in the forest of the bricked Islamic tombs.