单选题

According to local tradition, Sultan Abu ibn al-Hasan founded the East African trading state of Kilwa in the mid-tenth century. Professor Ascalon, however, argues that Sultan al-Hasan did not rule in Kilwa until at least a century later.　 Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest support for Professor Ascalon’s position?

A The Hunsu Kubwa Palace, the largest stone structure in sub-Saharan Africa prior to the eighteenth century, dates to the rule of Sultan Sulaiman in the fourteenth century.

B The oldest mosque on the island, which has traditionally been attributed to the reign of Abu ibn al-Hasan, has a foundation dating to ca. 800 C.E.

C The Kilwa Chronicle. a document based on Kilwa oral history that has been shown to be unreliable on matters of chronology, dates the rise to power of Sultan al-Hasan to the year 957 C.E.

D Silver and copper coins bearing the name of Abu ibn al-Hasan have been found in archeological sites dating from the late eleventh to the fourteenth centuries, but none have been found in sites dating earlier than the late eleventh century.

E Archeological records suggest that the island of Kilwa enjoyed a period of economic prosperity beginning in the mid-eleventh century.

解析：
通过比较可知，D项虽然没有提供Sultan al-Hasan在十一世纪统治的证据，但是它提供了和此假设相一致的分析结果，故本题选D项。