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Known Archaeological Data
The eastern region had already been the subject of archaeological surveys through work conducted by universities in Madagascar.
Before Ambatovy’s intervention, several explorers and researchers already reported the presence of ancient sites. Their publications
however, only provided a brief description of such locations, without providing tangible evidence to help judge their importance.
However, excavations of other sites have been conducted since the 1960s (see Dewar, Fernandez, Mille, Radimilahy, Rakotoarisoa,
Ramilisonina, Vérin).
Among the most ancient sites are those at Vohidrazana I, located west of the current city of Fénérive-Est, and Vohidrazana II, located
south of Andasibe, visible from the RN 2, south of Ambavaniasy village. These two sites were supposedly the major towns on the
route to the central highlands for the last group of Austronesians who landed in the region of Maroantsetra between the 9th and 13th
century.
An Islamic population occupied the estuaries of large coastal rivers along the east coast, from Vohemar to Fort Dauphin. Their
journey took place between the 13th and 15th centuries and traces of their voyages can be seen by the presence of fragments of
chlorite schist objects. This Islamic population introduced Madagascar to the
sorabe
alphabet, and
fanandroana
or astrology. In
Tamatave, the site of Ambodisiny, near the Ivondro River mouth, is one of the markers of their passage. A large chlorite schist jar,
which became an object of devotion, was discovered there.
Unfortunately, it was deliberately destroyed by a foreign traveler who wanted to prove that it had no power. The night of his barbaric
act, he perished in a fire in his hut.
From the 17th and 18th centuries, trading posts have proliferated along the coast between Maroantsetra and Tamatave, for
commerce, but also for piracy and slave trade. Each European maritime power of the time wanted to own one or more operational
bases. The Dutch were at Antongil Bay and Manafiafy, while the French tried to colonize Fort Dauphin. The British tried at first to
settle on the island of Nosy Ve, near Tulear, but were unsuccessful and subsequently moved to the northwest. All of them stopped
over at ports such as Fénérive, Foulpointe
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, Sainte Marie and Toamasina, to resupply.
These centuries correspond to a particularly turbulent period. Pirates driven out of the Caribbean settled along the east coast and
made the region their main mooring point. From here, they would go to indiscriminately attack any ships in the vicinity. Acts of piracy,
which began in 1694, only ended in 1720 with the growth of the role of privateers commissioned by a coalition of European nations.
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Foulpointe was originally called “Hopeful Point” in English. Locally the name is thought to refer to the arrival of a crowd, as ‘foule’ is the French word for crowd.
