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Mapungubwe
Mapungubwe was a city in what is now northern South Africa. Flourishing from 1050 AD to 1270 AD at the confluence of the Shashe River|Shashe and Limpopo River|Limpopo rivers (), it marked the center of a pre-Shona people|Shona kingdom which covered parts of modern-day Botswana and Zimbabwe. The site of the city is now a World Heritage Site, national park, and archaeological site.
The Mapungubwe Landscape was declared a World Heritage Site on 3 July 2003.
Mapungubwe means "place where jackals eat", derived from ''phunguvhwe'' (Venda language|Venda for jackal), as the hill was littered with human bones which attracted these scavengers.Society
Mapungubwean society was "the most complex in southern Africa".[Mapungubwe: SA's lost city of gold] It is thought by archaeologists to be the first class-based social system in southern Africa; that is, its leaders were separated from and higher in rank than its inhabitants.
Life in Mapungubwe was centered around family and farming. Special sites were created for initiation ceremonies, household activities, and other social functions. Cattle lived in kraals located close to the residents' houses, signifying their value.
Most speculation about society continues to be based upon the remains of buildings, since the Mapungubweans left no written or oral record.
Discovery
After Mapungubwe's fall, it was forgotten until 1932. On New Year's Eve 1932, E. S. J. van Graan, a local farmer and prospector, and his son, a former student of the University of Pretoria, discovered the wealth of artifacts on top of the hill. They reported the find to Professor Leo Fouché of the University of Pretoria, paving the way for excavations that continue to this day.
The artifacts found dated from approximately 1000 AD to 1300 AD and consisted of a variety of materials such as pottery, trade glass beads, Chinese celadon ware, gold ornaments (including the famous golden rhino), ceramic figurines, organic remains, crafted ivory and bone and refined copper and iron.
Mapungubwe National Park
The area is now part of Mapungubwe National Park, which with the Tuli Block (Botswana) and the Tuli Safari area (Zimbabwe), forms part of Limpopo/Shashe Transfrontier Park.
Image:MNP.jpg|Entance to Mapungubwe National Park, Limpopo Province, South Africa
Image:LSConfluence.jpg|Taken from South Africa, to the left is Botswana and Zimbabwe is on the right. The river running from left to right is the Limpopo River. The river which disappears on the horizon is the Shashe
Image:MNPSandstone.jpg|Sandstone rock formations typical of Mapungubwe National Park
Image:TreetopWalk.jpg|Treetop Boardwalk. All facilities at Mapungubwe National Park are wheelchair-friendly.
Image:Mapungubwe_hill_limpopo.jpg|Mapungubwe Hill viewed from the north
Image:MapungubweHill.jpg|Mapungubwe Hill.
Image:Excavations.jpg|An archaeological excavation site at Mapungubwe.
Image:a gold rhino from the burial of Mapungubwe hill.JPG|The Gold Rhino from a burial site on Mapungubwe hill
See also
- Mapungubwe Museum
- Order of Mapungubwe
- Thuli Parks and Wildlife Land
References
External links
- Mapungubwe National Park
- Mapungubwe - discusses cultural aspects, as well as how to get there
- "Mapungubwe: SA's lost city of gold" - article about Mapungubwe's history
Category:World Heritage Sites in South Africa
Category:Archaeological sites in South Africa
Category:History of South Africa
Category:Tourism in South Africa
Category:13th century in Africa
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Sources: StartLearningNow, Wikipedia | Usage license: GNU FDL
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