List of archaeological sites in southern Africa

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Southern Africa

This is the list of archaeological sites in southern Africa , i.e. the finds of the remains of human civilization up to the year 1700 in Angola , Botswana , Lesotho , Malawi , Mozambique , Namibia , South Africa , Zambia , Zimbabwe and Swaziland . Geographically, this area is limited by the Lundaschwelle and the southern Tanzanian highlands .

First and foremost are the sites and - where necessary - the closest existing place today. In second place is the country within whose national borders the site is located today. In third place is today's region. In the fourth place the finds are listed, in the fifth the date is noted, in the sixth they are culturally and in the seventh they are assigned ethnically. The eighth column is for explanatory comments, which should refer to essential contexts, systems and facts. Please note references and corresponding web links in the article for the relevant location.

Other sites in southern and eastern Africa without previous specification: Thandwe , Kansanshe , Luanzaf , Bwana Mkubwa , Sanga (city) , Kamnama , Uvenza , Ivuna , Manekweni , Nalatale .

list

Location country region Finds Dating Cultural
assignment 		Ethnic
classification 		comment
Kgaswe B55 BotswanaBotswana Botswana Foundations of huts, ceramics, several thousand glass beads, ostrich egg shells approx. 990-1010 Toutswe culture Bantu, not yet a Tswana
Mmamagwa on Limpopo BotswanaBotswana Botswana Central District , near the border triangle with South Africa and Zimbabwe Stone buildings, pottery, glass beads, shells 1200-1330
1450-1650 		Mapungubwe culture and Khami culture ( Munhumutapa successor state) Bantu
Moeng I. BotswanaBotswana Botswana Numerous evidence of iron processing approx. 650-1350 Toutswe culture Bantu, not yet a Tswana
Okavango -Makgadikgadi BotswanaBotswana Botswana North West District Ceramics 200 BC Chr.- Iron Age Bambatha culture (agriculture) Bantu
Tswapong Hills near Palapye /
Molepolole /
Tsodilo Hills 		BotswanaBotswana Botswana Central District /
Kweneng District /
North West District 		Rock painting, pottery, iron mines 190-800 Neighborhood from the Iron Age since the 3rd or 4th century and the Stone Age until the 20th century. San, Bantu
Kipushi Congo Democratic RepublicDemocratic Republic of Congo Democratic Republic of Congo Katanga Traces of settlement, fireplace, charcoal, ceramics 900-1440 iron age Bantu, connections to Bakongo? missing stratigraphy (superficial position), pottery similar to Kansanshi , Kapwirimbwe , Chondwe , Luano cave, Roan Antelope, Kangonga
Mahilaka , on Ampasindava MadagascarMadagascar Madagascar Northwest coast,
1550 km south of the equator , 1700 km northwest of Sofala 		Settlement remains, stone houses, mosques, ceramics, glass production, iron processing 1100-1400 Islamic Middle Ages Arabs , Swahili Settlement of 60 hectares, constructions like in Kilwa Kisiwani , mining
Kapeni ( Balaka / Ntcheu ) MalawiMalawi Malawi Shire , Shire Highlands Ceramics, traces of settlement, 800-1100
1200-1400 		Kapeni culture Inconsistent assignment, sometimes before the Nkope culture , sometimes after, with some identical to the Longwe culture or at the same time
Longwe MalawiMalawi Malawi Mulanje Ceramics 1200-1400 Longwe culture with some identical or simultaneous Kapeni culture
Mawudzu
( Chipoka ) 		MalawiMalawi Malawi Chipoka, Shiretal Ceramic, Indian glass beads, copper 1200-1750 Mawudzu culture Bantu ( Chewa ) ethnic overlap (?), ceramics (from 1400) is independent and is not based on Nkope culture
Nkhudzi
( Salima ) 		MalawiMalawi Malawi Salima , Senga Ceramics after 1700 Nkhudzi culture objects of the Nkope culture, the Namaso culture and the Nkhuzi (also: Mkhudzi) culture were found here
Nkope south of Monkey Bay MalawiMalawi Malawi Mangochi Pottery, traces of settlement, cattle bones, rub stones 300-1000 Nkope culture near Nkopola (a little south of Nkope), further finds also in Chencherere cave near Dedza , similar finds in eastern Zambia and Mozambique ( Matope )
Chibuene MozambiqueMozambique Mozambique Inhambane Trading center, ceramics, Arabic, glazed goods 500 (?) -1500 Swahili trade, Munhumutapa Empire Swahili Pottery similar to Kilwa Kisiwani , earlier evidence of coastal trade
Manyikeni MozambiqueMozambique Mozambique Inhambane Stone architecture, traded glass beads and shells 1100 to 1600 Munhumutapa Empire (?) Bantu Ceramics of the Gokomere / Ziwa tradition
Matola MozambiqueMozambique Mozambique Maputo Pottery, shells 200-400 early iron age Bantu?, Swahili  ? Ceramic decor very similar to the one at the same time in Kwale in Kenya
Matope MozambiqueMozambique Mozambique House remains , bones of domestic animals, grinding stones, glass beads and cowrie shells , 81 finds Nkope culture Cowries are only found in the Maldives , South India and Southeast Asia. Their shells (colloquially called cowrie shells) were currency in large parts of Africa before 1800, even in the upper Niger
Quelimane MozambiqueMozambique Mozambique Zambezia Trading place (Portuguese reports) ~ 1300-1550 Swahili trade, Munhumutapa Empire
Sena MozambiqueMozambique Mozambique Sofala Trading place (Portuguese reports) ? -1500 Swahili trade, Munhumutapa Empire Bantu, Swahili also finds that correspond to the Gokomere culture, also in Chinde and Matola
Sofala MozambiqueMozambique Mozambique Sofala Trading place (Arabic and Portuguese reports) 900 or earlier -1500 Swahili trade, Munhumutapa Empire Bantu, Swahili
Tete MozambiqueMozambique Mozambique Tete Trading place (Portuguese reports) ? -1500 Swahili trade, Munhumutapa Empire Bantu, Swahili
Zumbo MozambiqueMozambique Mozambique Tete Trading place (Portuguese reports) ? -1500 Swahili trade, Munhumutapa Empire Bantu, Swahili
Places of worship NamibiaNamibia Namibia Khomas San
Apollo 11 cave NamibiaNamibia Namibia ǁKaras 27,000-23,000 BC Chr. San
Bom Jesus NamibiaNamibia Namibia ǁKaras 1533 Portuguese
Bushman paradise NamibiaNamibia Namibia Erongo 4400 BC Chr. San
Elephant relics NamibiaNamibia Namibia Khomas 3000 BC Chr.
Farm Aar NamibiaNamibia Namibia ǁKaras 635 million years ago to about 541 million years ago
ǁKhauxaǃnas NamibiaNamibia Namibia ǁKaras sunken city 18th century Nama
Paula cave NamibiaNamibia Namibia Erongo Rock painting 3,000 BC Chr. San
Phillips cave NamibiaNamibia Namibia Erongo Rock painting 3,300 BC San
Smallpox Bank Grotto NamibiaNamibia Namibia ǁKaras Rock art, stone artifacts Middle Stone Age
Twyfelfontein NamibiaNamibia Namibia Kunene Rock art 4,000 BC Chr. San National monument and world heritage site
White lady NamibiaNamibia Namibia Erongo Rock art San
Batoka plateau ZambiaZambia Zambia Southern province Ceramics 1200– Luangwa tradition Bantu is associated with Kansanshi, different dates: ceramic 1200, cattle (?) 1000 (?)
Dambwa in Livingstone ZambiaZambia Zambia Southern province Traces of settlement 900-1200 Dambwa culture (Iron Age) Khoisan assimilated by Bantu
Gundu ZambiaZambia Zambia Lundazi Ceramics 1200– Luangwa tradition Bantu Finds similar to those on the Batoka Plateau, matrilineally organized Bantu like Chewa
Ingombe Ilede near Siavonga ZambiaZambia Zambia Southern province Indian fabrics, gold, copper, bells, ceramics 700-1600 late Iron Age, Munhumutapa Empire  ? Khoisan assimilated to Bantu The finds are kept in the Livingstone Museum, Iron Age Dambwa culture
Kalomo ZambiaZambia Zambia Southern province Traces of settlement 900-1200 Dambwa culture Munhumutapa Empire Khoisan assimilated by Bantu semi-nomadic, first agriculture
Kalomo ZambiaZambia Zambia Southern province Traces of settlement ? -900 Kalundu culture Khoisan Hunters and collectors
Kalomo ZambiaZambia Zambia Southern province Graves 1400 Munhumutapa Empire Khoisan assimilated by Bantu Graves with ornaments made of sea shells and glass
Kansanshi at Solwezi ZambiaZambia Zambia Northwest Province Geologically Copperbelt Copper bars 1000-1900 Munhumutapa Empire  ? Bantu
Cape Wirimbwe , Chondwe ZambiaZambia Zambia Lusaka , Copperbelt Traces of settlement, ceramics after 500 Nkope culture Gokomere / Ziwa tradition Bantu Iron-working arable farmers with copper extraction, cattle farming, similar finds in Roan Antelope and Kangonga, no evidence of population exchange
Lubusi ZambiaZambia Zambia Western province Traces of settlement, fireplace, metal, ceramics 900-1000 iron age Bantu Ceramic of the same type as further north in what is now DR Congo
Mwerusee ZambiaZambia Zambia Luapula Traces of settlement 800– northern Tonga culture Bantu
Bambatha cave ZimbabweZimbabwe Zimbabwe South Matabeleland Sheep bones 140 BC Chr., In the same layer of ceramic, but possibly. 400 AD Bambatha culture (late Stone Age), ceramics, possibly Iron Age Khoisan The Bambatha cave has served as a shelter for thousands of years, most recently in 1906
Baranda north of Mazowe 32 ° 50 ′ E, 16 ° 50 ′ S ZimbabweZimbabwe Zimbabwe Central Maschonaland Settlement, ceramics, glassware, glass beads, imported ceramics (Europe and the Near and Far East) 1500-1900 Munhumutapareich ,
(2nd phase) 		Karanga (Shona), Portuguese Perhaps identical to the Massapa known from Portuguese sources
Chinhoyi ZimbabweZimbabwe Zimbabwe West Maschonaland Clay pots 650 before Munhumutapa Empire Wide cave system used as a huge storage tank with year-round water-bearing pool and underground water system
Dambarare ZimbabweZimbabwe Zimbabwe East Machonaland Settlement remains since 1500 Munhumutapareich
(2nd phase),
Portuguese 		Karanga (Shona), Portuguese Aristocratic seat of the Karangas, trading post of the Portuguese until 1693
Danangombe between Bulawayo u. Gweru ZimbabweZimbabwe Zimbabwe South Matabeleland Palace with buildings made of layered stones, terraces, more ornaments than in Khami, later again coarser 16th century - 1830 Munhumutapa Successor State, Torwa Dynasty, and Changamire Dynasty Rozvi (Shona) Second residence of the Torwa, building taken over by the Changamire and further expanded, native ceramics unchanged, objects from Europe (including Portuguese cannons) and China
Gokomere at Masvingo ZimbabweZimbabwe Zimbabwe Masvingo 30 rock carvings as well as early Iron Age finds 300-650 Gokomere / Ziwa tradition (before Munhumutapa empire ) San and Bantu Located eight kilometers from Masvingo in a rocky terrain. The Iron Age Gokomere people are believed to be the ancestors of today's Shona.
Greater Zimbabwe near Masvingo ZimbabweZimbabwe Zimbabwe Masvingo Ruler's seat and city-like settlement, enclosing walls made of dry masonry 700 and 1200-1450 early Iron Age and Munhumutapa Empire Bantu (probably Shona) individual ceramic finds are much older than the walls and objects from the heyday
Inyanga ZimbabweZimbabweZimbabwe Mozambique
MozambiqueMozambique		 Manicaland Terrace systems 17th-19th Century Manica Manica (Shona) The manica culture is located across borders in Zimbabwe and Mozambique (Vila de Manica)
Khami 15 km west of Bulawayo ZimbabweZimbabwe Zimbabwe North Matabeleland Palace with buildings made of layered stones, terraces 1450-1683 Munhumutapa - successor state to the Torwa dynasty Bantu, probably Shona Items from China and Europe
Mazowetal ZimbabweZimbabwe Zimbabwe Mashonaland Central Irrigation systems 700-1400 Munhumutapa Empire Bantu
Mazowetal ZimbabweZimbabwe Zimbabwe Mashonaland Central Settlements 1500– Munhumutapa empire
(2nd phase) 		Karanga (Shona)
Murewa Caves ZimbabweZimbabwe Zimbabwe East Machonaland Rock carvings from hunting scenes before 1000 Stone Age hunters and gatherers San In some areas, Stone Age and Iron Age populations are said to have lived side by side.
Mvumbira (south of Murewa ) u. a. ZimbabweZimbabwe Zimbabwe East Machonaland small hill fortifications made of dry masonry 1500– Munhumutapareich ,
(2nd phase) 		Karanga (Shona)
Zaka ZimbabweZimbabwe Zimbabwe Masvingo Ceramic, iron, remains of settlements 1485-1695 Khami culture Bantu, probably Shona
Mapungubwe at Musina South AfricaSouth Africa South Africa Limpopo , on the border with Zimbabwe Palace (dry stone walls), city-like. Siedlg .; Copper, glass beads, porcelain, ivory 1220-14. century at the same time as and similar to Greater Zimbabwe Bantu Artifacts in Pretoria , replicas in the Musina Museum
Thulamela in the Kruger National Park (near Camp Punda Maria ) South AfricaSouth Africa South Africa Limpopo Fortifications (dry stone walls) and settlement; Iron, glass beads, porcelain 1500-17. century Similar to Greater Zimbabwe (successor)
Kilwa Kisiwani TanzaniaTanzania Tanzania 200 km north of the Mozambican border, 900 km south of the equator Trading city: palace, large mosque (13th century), bath and a., medieval column vaults 975-1830, flowering in the 13th century Founded by Persian emigrants, Yemeni dynasty since around 1300 Persians , Arabs, Swahili twice as far from Aden, more than three times as far from Persia as from Great Zimbabwe

literature

sorted by year of publication:

  • Peter Breunig: Archaeological Travel Guide Namibia. Africa Magna Verlag, 1st edition, January 15, 2014, ISBN 978-3-937248-39-4 .
  • Graham Connah: African Civilizations: Precolonial Cities and States in Tropical Africa. Cambridge 1987 (therein pp. 183-213 on Great Zimbabwe and gold mining) ; Revised edition Cambridge 2001.
  • Peter Hertel: To the ruins of Zimbabwe. Gotha 2000, ISBN 3-623-00356-5 .
  • Thomas N. Huffman: Ceramics, settlements and Late Iron Age migrations. In: African Archaeological Review. Volume 7, No. 1 / December, 1989, pp. 155-182.
  • Paul JJ Sinclair, Innocent Pikirayi, Gilbert Pwiti, Robert Soper: Urban Trajectories on the Zimbabwean Plateau. In: T. Shaw, P. Sinclair, B. Andah, A. Okpoko (Eds.): The Archeology of Africa. London / New York 1993, ISBN 0-415-11585-X , pp. 726-730.
  • Paul JJ Sinclair: Archeology in Eastern Africa: An Overview of Current Chronological Issues. In: The Journal of African History. Volume 32, No. 2 (1991), pp. 179-219
  • Tim Maggs, Gavin Whitelaw: A Review of Recent Archaeological Research on Food-Producing Communities in Southern Africa. In: The Journal of African History. Volume 32, No. 1 (1991), pp. 3-24.
  • Yusuf M. Juwayeyi: Iron age settlement and substence patterns in southern Malawi. In: T. Shaw, P. Sinclair, B. Andah, A. Okpoko (Eds.): The Archeology of Africa. London / New York 1993, ISBN 0-415-11585-X , p. 396.
  • Francis B. Musonda: The significance of pottery in Zambian Later Stone Age contexts, Humanities. In: Social Sciences and Law. Volume 5, No. 1 / December, 1987, pp. 147-158.
  • Heinrich Pleticha (Ed.): Zimbabwe. Voyages of discovery into the past. Stuttgart 1985 (collection of excerpts from travelogues as well as standard works on the “Ophir” theory).
  • David N. Beach: The Shona and Zimbabwe 900-1850. Heinemann (London) and Mambo Press (Gwelo) 1980.
  • SIG Mudenge: Eighteenth-Century Portuguese Settlements on the Zambezi and the Dating of Rhodesian Ruins: Some reflections on the Problems of Reference Dating. In: The International Journal of African Historical Studies. Volume 10, No. 3, 1977.
  • Joseph O. Vogel: The Early Iron Age in Western Zambia. In: Current Anthropology Vol. 17, No. 1 (Mar., 1976), pp. 153-154.
  • Peter Garlake: Zimbabwe. Goldland of the Bible or a symbol of African freedom? Bergisch Gladbach 1975 (meanwhile outdated standard work on the history and archeology of "Great Zimbabwe" from the pen of the most important researcher of the ruins, very well illustrated)
  • David Chinawa: The Zimbabwe Controversy: A Case of Colonial Historiography. Syracuse, NJ 1973.
  • TN Huffman: The Rise and Fall of Zimbabwe. In: The Journal of African History. Volume 13, No. 3, 1972.
  • JEG Sutton: New Radiocarbon Dates for Eastern and Southern Africa. In: The Journal of African History. Volume 13, No. 1, 1972.
  • DW Phillipson: An Early Iron Age site on the Lubusi River Kaoma District, Zambia. Zambia Museums Journal 1971, Volume 2, pp. 51-57.
  • PS Garlake: Rhodesian Ruins-A Preliminary Assessment of Their Styles and Chronology. In: The Journal of African History. Volume 11, No. 4, 1970.
  • Brian M. Fagan, DW Phillipson, SGH Daniels: Iron Age Cultures in Zambia. Volume 2: Dambwa, Ingombe Ilede, and the Tonga (Review: Robert Soper, African Historical Studies, Volume 3, No. 2, 1970, pp. 487-490).
  • Brian M. Fagan: Radiocarbon Dates for Sub-Saharan Africa: VI. In: The Journal of African History. Volume 10, No. 1, 1969, pp. 149-169
  • Brian M. Fagan: Early Trade and Raw Materials in South Central Africa. In: The Journal of African History. Volume 10, No. 1, 1969, pp. 1-13
  • DW Phillipson: The Early Iron Age in Zambia-Regional Variants and Some Tentative Conclusions. In: The Journal of African History. Volume 9, No. 2, 1968, pp. 191-211
  • Andries Johannes Bruwer: Zimbabwe: Rhodesia's Ancient Greatness. Johannesburg 1965 (typical example of a proponent of the "Ophir" theory)
  • Neville Jones: Further Excavations at Gokomere, Southern Rhodesia. Man, Vol. 32, Jul., 1932 (Jul., 1932), pp. 161-162.
  • Gardner: Excavations in a Wilton Industry at Gokomere, Fort Victoria, Southern Rhodesia. In: The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. Volume 58, Jul-Dec, 1928 (Jul-Dec, 1928), pp. 497-510.
  • Carl Peters : Ophir. In the gold country of antiquity. Research between the Zambezi and Sabi. Munich 1902 (classic example of the "Ophir theory" shaped by racist prejudice).
  • James Theodore Bent : The Ruined Cities of Mashonaland. London 1896 (classic of the “Ophir” theory) .
  • Herbert WA Sommerlatte: Gold and ruins in Zimbabwe. From diaries and letters of Swabian Karl Mauch ( 1837–1875 ). Gütersloh 1987.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ klausdierks.com