Kingdom of Mapungubwe
Kingdom of Mapungubwe Mapungubwe | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1220–c. 1300 | |||||||||||
| Status | Kingdom | ||||||||||
| Capital | Mapungubwe Hill | ||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
| King | |||||||||||
• 1220-? | Shiriyadenga (according to Venda tradition) | ||||||||||
• ?-1300 | Tshidziwelele (according to Venda tradition) | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
• Established | c. 1220 | ||||||||||
• Mapungubwe Hill abandoned | c. 1300 | ||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||
• Total | 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||
| Currency | Possibly beads, however trade was largely conducted via barter | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Today part of | South Africa, Zimbabwe | ||||||||||
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
| Location | Limpopo, South Africa |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii), (iii), (iv), (v) |
| Reference | 1099bis |
| Inscription | 2003 (27th Session) |
| Extensions | 2014 |
| Area | 281.686602 km2 (69,606 acres) |
| Buffer zone | 1,048 km2 (259,000 acres) |
| Coordinates | 22°11′33″S 29°14′20″E / 22.19250°S 29.23889°E |
Location of Kingdom of Mapungubwe in Limpopo Kingdom of Mapungubwe (South Africa) | |
The Kingdom of Mapungubwe (pronounced /mɑːˈpuːnɡuːbweɪ/ mah-POON-goob-weh) was an ancient[a] state located at the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo rivers in present day South Africa, south of Great Zimbabwe. The capital's population was 5,000 by 1250, and the state likely covered 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi).[6][1]: 50
The Mapungubwe elite further institutionalised rainmaking into the development of sacral kingship, and the kingdom exported gold and ivory into the Indian Ocean trade via Swahili city-states on the East African coast. Although traditionally assumed to have been the first kingdom in Southern Africa, excavations in the same region at Mapela Hill show evidence for sacral kingship nearly 200 years earlier.[7] Following unknown events and shifting trade routes north around 1300, Mapungubwe's population scattered. In the present day they are often associated with the Kalanga (Shona), Tshivhula, and Venda peoples.
Despite locals having knowledge of the sacred site, Mapungubwe was only rediscovered by the scientific community and colonial government in 1933. The Mapungubwe Collection of artefacts found at the archaeological site is housed in the Mapungubwe Museum in Pretoria. The site is located in the Mapungubwe National Park in South Africa, on the border with Zimbabwe and Botswana.[8]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Wingfield, Chris; Giblin, John; King, Rachel, eds. (2020). The Pasts and Presence of Art in South Africa: Technologies, Ontologies and Agents. McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. ISBN 978-1-913344-01-6.
- ^ Chirikure, Shadreck; Delius, Peter; Esterhuysen, Amanda; Hall, Simon; Lekgoathi, Sekibakiba; Maulaudzi, Maanda; Neluvhalani, Vele; Ntsoane, Otsile; Pearce, David; Sadr, Karim; Smith, Jeanette (2015). Mapungubwe Reconsidered: A Living Legacy: Exploring Beyond the Rise and Decline of the Mapungubwe State. Real African Publishers Pty. ISBN 978-1-920655-06-8.
- ^ Shabalala, Lombuso (2022). Perspective of Mapungubwe Descendants' Traditional Leaders Concerning Their Traditional Values and Cultural Heritage Preservation. Cultural Sustainable Tourism. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. pp. 123–134. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-07819-4_11. ISBN 978-3-031-07818-7.
- ^ Mathebula, Mantha (2017). "Some notes on the early history of the Tembe, 1280 AD-1800 AD". New Contree. 78 (78): 16. doi:10.4102/nc.v78i0.102.
- ^ Huffman, page 376
- ^ Chirikure, Shadreck; Manyanga, Munyaradzi; Pollard, A. Mark; Bandama, Foreman; Mahachi, Godfrey; Pikirayi, Innocent (31 October 2014). "Zimbabwe Culture before Mapungubwe: New Evidence from Mapela Hill, South-Western Zimbabwe". PLOS ONE. 9 (10): e111224. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...9k1224C. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0111224. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 4215987. PMID 25360782.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link) - ^ "Mapungubwe National Park - World Heritage Site in South Africa". southafrica.co.za. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
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