Archaeological excavations at Bosutswe, Botswana: cultural chronology, paleo-ecology and economy

Denbow, James; Smith, Jeanette M.; Ndobochani, Nonofho Mathibidi; Atwood, Kirsten; Miller, Duncan

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2007.04.011

Cited by 69 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…In contrast, pottery from periods II to IV at Great Zimbabwe is decorated hardly at all, and there is continuity in shape forms, decoration placement and techniques through time (Robinson 1961b;Chirikure et al 2013). While this contrast is remarkable, there is a striking resemblance between Mapungubwe pottery and the Leopard's Kopje ceramics in southwestern Zimbabwe and northeastern Botswana (Robinson 1965;Denbow et al 2008). This distribution corresponds to the geographical concentration of Kalanga and Karanga speakers.…”

Section: Discussion: Towards a New Framework For Zimbabwe Culture Arcmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Zhizo beads were recovered at multiple places in southwestern Zimbabwe, central Zimbabwe and northeastern Botswana (Robinson 1965;Denbow et al 2008). These are followed by K2 series beads that were found at both Gumanye and Leopard's Kopje sites.…”

Section: Discussion: Towards a New Framework For Zimbabwe Culture Arcmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hilly or hilltop locations are generally associated with leaders and positions of power. A literature survey indicated that most pre-K2/Mapungubwe Zhizo, Leopard's Kopje and Gumanye sites were either located on hilltops or on raised ground (Robinson 1965;Denbow et al 2008). Some of them, for example Malumba (Manyanga et al 2000) and Mapela, have evidence of occupation on flat areas and on raised ground, while others have evidence of occupation inside the enclosures and outside them.…”

Section: Stone Walling Settlement Preferences and Ideologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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New Pathways of Sociopolitical Complexity in Southern Africa

Chirikure¹,

Manyanga²,

Pikirayi

et al. 2013

Afr Archaeol Rev

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Much is known about the economy and spatial organization of Zimbabwe culture entities of Mapungubwe, Great Zimbabwe and Khami but less in terms of their origins and relationship with each other. Based on little tangible evidence, it is believed and widely accepted that the societies based at Mapungubwe (AD 1220-1290), Great Zimbabwe (AD 1300-1450) and Khami (AD 1450-1820) rose, developed and eclipsed in tandem. A recent reexamination of the relationship between these settlements and related ones using local ceramics, imported artefacts, stone architecture and Bayesian modelling suggests this may not have been the case. The synthesis proffered revelations which temper the widely accepted assumption that sociopolitical complexity in southern Africa began in the Shashi-Limpopo Valley before anywhere else in the region. Firstly, there are numerous Zhizo and Leopard's Kopje sites that predate Mapungubwe but contain prestige goods and stone structures dating from the late first millennium AD. Secondly, material culture studies and modelled radiocarbon dates indicate that Great Zimbabwe evolved out of Gumanye while Khami, like Mapungubwe, may have developed out of the Leopard's Kopje. In fact, Great Zimbabwe was already a place of importance when Mapungubwe collapsed. Thirdly, Khami and Great Zimbabwe overlapped for over a century, before the latter buckled. Therefore, the evolution of sociopolitical complexity in southern Africa may have followed trajectories that are different from what the current understanding implies. (1450-1820 ap. J-C) auraient été fondés, se seraient développés et se seraient effondrés successivement. De récentes recherches ont exploré les relations entre ces différents sites ainsi que ceux qui y sont rattachés, en étudiant les céramiques locales, les objets importés, la typologie des murs de pierres et notamment les préférences résidentielles, et la modélisation Bayesienne. La synthèse permet de tempérer la vision dominante selon laquelle la complexité sociopolitique dans le Sud de l'Afrique a commencé dans la vallée du Shashi-Limpopo, avant tout autre site dans la région. Tout d'abord, il y a de nombreux sites antérieurs à Mapungubwe, Zhizo et Leopard's Kopje, avec des biens de prestige et des fortifications en pierre datant de la fin du premier millénaire ap. J-C. Ces caractéristiques seraient apparus à K2 et Mapungubwe dans la dépression du Limpopo. Deuxièmement, la culture matérielle et les datations carbones indiquent que Great Zimbabwe était déjà un lieu important quand Mapungubwe s'est effondré. Enfin, Khami et Great Zimbabwe coexistent pendant plus d'un siècle, avant que ce dernier ne tombe en déchéance. Par conséquent, la complexité sociopolitique dans le Sud de l'Afrique a probablement emprunté des trajectoires différentes de celles qui sont actuellement tracées avec les connaissances disponibles.

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Section: Discussion: Towards a New Framework For Zimbabwe Culture Arcmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussion: Towards a New Framework For Zimbabwe Culture Arcmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Stone Walling Settlement Preferences and Ideologymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

New Pathways of Sociopolitical Complexity in Southern Africa

Chirikure¹,

Manyanga²,

Pikirayi

et al. 2013

Afr Archaeol Rev

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“…from sites in East Africa mightwhere collagen is preserved-be investigated using new palaeoproteomic (ZooMS) techniques (e.g., Welker et al 2015) to determine whether additional donkeys lurk unidentified in Pastoral Neolithic or other faunal assemblages; they and existing specimens would also benefit from direct dating using the AMS radiocarbon technique to confirm their precise age. Along with renewed archaeozoological examinations, the same techniques could also be deployed as part of efforts to exclude conclusively the possibility that donkeys lie Bhidden^and unidentified in southern African faunas; Geduld (Smith and Jacobson 1995) and Bosutswe (Denbow et al 2008) might, for example, be promising in this respect (Table 2). Second, the genomes of donkeys, particularly those thought to represent populations long native to East Africa, could be investigated to ascertain whether they show evidence of having evolved resistance to the diseases I have discussed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why the Donkey Did Not Go South: Disease as a Constraint on the Spread of Equus asinus into Southern Africa

Mitchell

2017

Afr Archaeol Rev

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“…This framework has since been widely applied in most southern African archaeological studies, with ceramic typology being incorporated into the model to identify prehistoric groups (Huffman 1980;Pikirayi 1993;Pwiti 1996;Manyanga 2006;van Waarden 1987;Denbow 1981;Denbow et al 2008;Hanisch 1980). Wynne-Jones (2013) has noted that ceramics have been central to Material…”

Section: Materials Culture Studies In Southern Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

An archaeological study of the Zimbabwe Culture capital of Khami, southwestern Zimbabwe

Mukwende¹

2016

Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa

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This study sought to understand the archaeology of the Zimbabwe Culture capital of Khami through synchronic and diachronic analyses of its material culture. The research employed a number of methodological approaches that included a review of historic documents, surveying and mapping, excavations, museum collection analysis, and artefact studies, in order to collect datasets from various sections of the site, including the walled and the nonwalled areas. The main indication is that there is a great deal of similarity in material culture distribution across the whole site. An analysis of objects by stratigraphic sequence exposes continuity and change in local and imported objects. Dry stone-wall architectural data suggests that the site was constructed over a long period, with construction motivated by a number of expansionary factors. The study confirms that Khami began as a fully developed cultural unit, with no developmental trajectory recorded at Mapungubwe or Great Zimbabwe, where earlier ceramic units influenced later ones. Consequently, this study cautiously suggests that Khami represents a continuity with the Woolandale chiefdoms that settled in the south-western parts of the country and in the adjacent areas of Botswana. On the basis of the chronological and material culture evidence, Khami is unlikely to have emerged out of Great Zimbabwe. However, more research is needed to confirm these emergent conclusions, and to better understand the chronological and spatial relationships between not just Woolandale and Khami sites but also Khami and the multiple Khami-type sites scattered across southern Zambezia.ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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Archaeological excavations at Bosutswe, Botswana: cultural chronology, paleo-ecology and economy

Cited by 69 publications

References 36 publications

New Pathways of Sociopolitical Complexity in Southern Africa

New Pathways of Sociopolitical Complexity in Southern Africa

Why the Donkey Did Not Go South: Disease as a Constraint on the Spread of Equus asinus into Southern Africa

An archaeological study of the Zimbabwe Culture capital of Khami, southwestern Zimbabwe

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