This book shows for the first time that NW Madagascar supponcd an urban population fron1 c. I 000 AD onwards. New methods of archaeological investigation show that Mahilaka on the coast of Ampisindava Bay was a walled to,vn supponing a wide range of crafts including stone bowl manufacture and glass bead making. Finds from Mahilaka demonstrate an active participation of Madagascar in the trading networks of the Western Indian Ocean and beyond.