Glass beads from Mutamba: patterns of consumption in thirteenth-century southern Africa

Abstract

Mutamba is a settlement located on the northern slopes of the Soutpansberg in South Africa. Radiocarbon and material culture suggest contemporaneity with regional developments of social complexity primarily concentrated in the Shashe-Limpopo Confluence Area around the important site of Mapungubwe. The spatial location of Mutamba on the apparent political and economic periphery of Mapungubwe means that it is well suited to investigate patterns of distribution between centres of political influence and their larger hinterlands. It is proposed that trade goods followed variable patterns of distribution and consumption shaped by patterns in taste preference. In addition, this study suggests that, far from being deprived of trade goods, hinterland communities actively participated in regional networks of trade and exchange.

Raman and XRF classification of Asian and European glass beads recovered at Mutamba, a southern African Middle Iron Age site

“…Black is the most prominent colour (65.3%) followed by blue-green (17.2%), brownish-red (11.7%), green (3.4%), yellow (1.8%), and dark blue (0.6%). Most of the beads are heavily corroded which made morphological classification difficult (Antonites, 2014).…”

“…Mutamba was excavated in 1988 (Loubser, 1988) and 2010-11 (Antonites, 2012). While no beads were found in the initial excavations by Loubser (limited to a 3m x 3m trench), later excavations (13 excavation units covering 48m 2 in total) recovered 348 glass beads (Antonites, 2014). In addition to the glass beads, links with the Shashe-Limpopo Confluence are suggested by trade objects such as cowrie shell and metals such as gold, copper and iron objects as well as pottery.…”

“…Huffman, 2007]), and dates to the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries AD. This period is associated with social and political developments in the Shashe-Limpopo confluence zone that gave rise to the Mapungubwe State during the early thirteenth century (Antonites, 2014). This process sees a significant increase in long distance trade involving the Indian Ocean, characterized by exports of gold and animal products such as ivory and skins, and imports in the form of Asian ceramics and glass beads (Fouché, 1937;Huffman, 2000Huffman, , 2007Meyer, 2000).…”

“…The beads from Mutamba were morphologically classified by Antonites (2014) based on the temporal sensitive classification system provided by Wood (2000Wood ( , 2011. Wood"s classification system is the common and accepted method in field archaeology of southern Africa.…”

Fiber Spinning During the Mapungubwe Period of Southern Africa: Regional Specialism in the Hinterland

“…In the Mapungubwe heartland (the region around the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo rivers), trade goods and non-utilitarian metals are restricted to large elite sites (Calabrese 2000(Calabrese , 2007. However, the ongoing research at hinterland sites shows a less-restricted pattern in the distribution of items that were regarded as prestige goods in the heartland (Antonites 2012(Antonites , 2014Antonites and Ashley 2016). This pattern not only demonstrates regional sociopolitical and economic variability during the MIA but also highlights the significant role of hinterland communities in regional commerce.…”