The Political Structure of Iron Age Economies in Southern Africa

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In the late first millennia A.D. the interior of southern Africa witnessed the rise of complex societies, based both on agriculture and pastoralism and characterized by large towns with central enclosures surrounded my massive carefully faced stone walls. The most famous of these, Zimbabwe, is located in the fertile highlands of the country with the same name. Work by Dr. James Denbow and other archaeologists has demonstrated that this same phenomenon extended into the less hospitable Kalahari Desert to the west and that several easily defended mesas contain evidence of dense settlement. Data also suggest that such sites served as central places in large settlement systems which covered thousands of square miles. With National Science Foundation support Drs. James Denbow and Edwin Wilmsen will continue their research on these Botswana Iron Age settlements. In the first of two field seasons they will excavate at the sites of Botsutswe and Mmapudi. The former is a large mesa site, the latter a smaller one which presumably is part of the same system. Through surface survey and excavation the size and distribution of materials at each site will be determined. Analysis of materials such as ceramics and trade goods will provide information on both external contacts as well as status differentiation both between and within sites. In the second season the team will conduct exploratory research in an outlying area, presumably with little contact with the core, to locate sites for potential excavation. This research is important for several reasons. It will shed light on how complex societies arise and are maintained. It will also provide insight into how humans adapt to harsh and unpredictable desert environments. The conclusions may provide guidelines for successful herd management strategies in drought ravaged areas of Africa today.