This volume presents the results of the 1996 field season in the city of Gao (Mali) and its immediate vicinity. Excavations were undertaken in Gadei, Gao Ancien and Koima. Survey was also completed both there and north of Gao Ancien, and within the vicinity of the cemetery of Gorongobo. The 1996 results provide further insight into a variety of questions left unanswered or subjects which were only vaguely understood following the 1993 season, not least the inter-relations between the different component parts which constituted Iron Age Gao. The 1996 excavations also uncovered substantial assemblages of artefacts, contributing significantly to our understanding of technology, diet and trade. Faunal and botanical remains were exceptionally well represented, and these have been analysed by specialists, allowing a detailed picture of diet and subsistence patterns to be reconstructed. The locally produced pottery, trade related items and a large assemblage of beads are also described and analysed.