The Emergence of Social and Political Complexity in the Shashi-Limpopo Valley of Southern Africa, AD 900 to 1300: Ethnicity, class and polity

Calabrese, John

doi:10.30861/9781407300290

Cited by 28 publications

(47 citation statements)

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“…These criteria were used to establish old-trade connections and chronology of sites by archaeologists (e.g. Calabrese, 2007;Denbow et al 2015;Schofield, 1938).…”

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confidence: 99%

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

Koleini

Colomban

Antonites

et al. 2017

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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Twenty-eight representative beads found at the thirteenth-fourteenth century AD site of Mutamba in southern Africa were classified morphologically and then analysed with pXRF. Eighteen beads were selected from four identified series of K2-IP, EC-IP, Mapungubwe Oblate and European for Raman spectroscopy. The results show corrosion has a great effect on the composition and nanostructure of Mapungubwe series with lixiviation of alkalis. In corroded K2-IP beads elevated amounts of potassium recorded on the surface layer compared to less corroded IP beads. Despite these changes pXRF and Raman spectroscopy were successful in discriminating of the bead series by considering the concentration of trace elements (Zr, U), detected pigments (lead tin yellow (II), red lead), opacifiers (SnO 2 , calcium antimoniate) and colorants (Fe, Cu, Co) and their concentrations in the beads.

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“…These criteria were used to establish old-trade connections and chronology of sites by archaeologists (e.g. Calabrese, 2007;Denbow et al 2015;Schofield, 1938).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Koleini

Colomban

Antonites

et al. 2017

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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“…This research demonstrates the continued importance of provenance studies and component analysis for understanding trade, interaction and economic dynamics for the southern African EIA. Areas such as south Sowa, situated on the fringes of known EIA settlement distribution, have been described as peripheral (Reid & Segobye 2000b) in comparison with somewhat later 'cores' of cultural and economic production like Bosutswe and Schroda (Hanisch 1980;Huffman 2000;Reid & Segobye 2000b;Calabrese 2007). While smaller sites like Thabadimasego and its contemporaries of the south Sowa area represent but a fraction of the overall system of trade and economic influence within southern Africa, their role within this system should not be overlooked.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

African archaeology without frontiers: papers from the 2014 PanAfrican Archaeological Association Congress

Veall

2018

Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa

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The 2014 PanAfrican Archaeological Association (PAA) Congress was held at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg in tandem with the 22nd biennial meeting of the Society for Africanist Archaeologists (SAfA). The National Lotteries Commission (NLC) of South Africa provided the lion's share of funds to make the event possible. Geoff Blundell and Bruce Rubidge made invaluable contributions to the funding proposal. The then vice chancellor of Wits Professor Loyiso Nongxa was a staunch supporter of PAA2014 and facilitated infrastructural and logistical support from the university. Deputy vice chancellors professors Yunus Ballim, Belinda Bozzolli, Patrick Fitzgerald, Derek Keats and Rob Moore provided generous assistance in one way or another. The dean of the Faculty of Science Professor Andrew Crouch and the faculty's financial director Mr Manfred Malomo also gave unstinting support. Ms Andrea Leenen of the Palaeontological Scientific Trust (PAST), as well as the Wenner-Gren Foundation provided funds to sponsor international students to attend the congress. The French Institute in South Africa (IFAS) kindly translated all documents to help make this a truly bilingual congress. The core of the congress was a five-day international conference that took place in mid-July 2014. A day of workshops for invited archaeology students from several countries preceded the main conference, and three days of excursions to visit important heritage sites in South Africa took place immediately after the main event. A mid-conference excursion took delegates to the world-famous Cradle of Humankind. About 450 delegates from Africa, Europe and North America registered to participate in PAA/SAfA 2014. These included academics and senior postgraduate students plus staff of museums and government agencies involved in heritage and archaeological matters. The day-today logistics were admirably handled by Ms Fiona Storie and her team from Scatterlings Inc. Wits postgraduate students

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“…The settlement of densely occupied hilltop sites, and the associated change in social and political differentiation in the early second millennium, represented the emergence of a class-based hierarchy and the manifestation of early states (Sinclair 1987;Pwiti 1991;Calabrese 2000;Pikirayi 2001;Huffman 2000Huffman , 2007Huffman , 2009Sinclair et al 2012;Chirikure et al 2013Chirikure et al , 2016a. Changes in production strategies are widely considered to be integral to the developments that took place in this time period (Huffman 1972(Huffman , 1974(Huffman , 2000(Huffman , 2009Pwiti 1991Pwiti , 1996Pwiti , 2005Swan 1994;Calabrese 2007). In particular, it was the production of gold and ivory and their export to the East African coast that fed into the Indian Ocean exchange networks facilitated by Swahili merchants.…”

Section: Metals and The Iron Age Political Economy Of Southern Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Control over economic resources features as a prominent driving force behind social and political hierarchy in the southern African region in the early second millennium AD. Along with imported items, locally produced item such as copper, ivory and iron are closely associated with consumption by elites at Zimbabwe culture capital sites (Calabrese 2000(Calabrese , 2007Miller 2001;Huffman 2009;Wood 2012). The early period of the production of metals at Phalaborwa, from the 10th to the 13th century, coincides with these regional developments.…”

Section: Introduction To the Political Economy Of Southern Africamentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The most prominent explanation focuses on the impact of external trade via the Indian Ocean in engendering new forms of economic control, in turn facilitating social and political differentiation (Huffman 1972(Huffman , 1974(Huffman , 1982(Huffman , 2000(Huffman , 2009(Huffman , 2010Calabrese 2007;Wood 2012;Sinclair et al 2012). The south-East African coastline was part of a larger and more expansive Indian Ocean trade network that spread from the southern tip of Africa to India and China (Chaudhuri 1985;LaViolette 2008;Fuller et al 2011).…”

Section: Introduction To the Political Economy Of Southern Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘Phalaborwa where the hammer is heard’: crafting together the political economy of Iron Age communities in southern Africa, AD 900–1900

Moffett

2017

Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa

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In Africa and elsewhere, producers form a critical dimension to archaeological reconstructions of the political economy. However, few studies address the relationship between producers and the political economy from the vantage point of production sites. This study addresses the position of metal producers in the regional political economy of Iron Age (AD 200-1900) communities in southern Africa through an in-depth analysis of one production locale, Shankare. Shankare is a production and habitation site located in close proximity to the Lolwe mineral body in Phalaborwa. Studying the organisation of production, identity of producers, mechanisms of exchange and evidence of consumption at Shankare provided an important platform to assess producers in the context of the domestic and regional economy. Research at Shankare and surrounding sites revealed that production was characterised by a community of homestead based producers located in proximity to the ore source. Metal production took place in domestic contexts in conjunction with other activities, and with clear evidence of scheduling and cross-crafting overlaps. Producers acted independently and were well connected within a regional exchange system that facilitated the flow of local products and imported items such as glass beads and cowrie shells (Cypraea annulus). The study of producers at Shankare indicates the presence of a decentralised political economy resulting in a high degree of autonomy of producers and consumers in the region. Comparisons between the organisation of metal production at Shankare through time indicate that in both occupational periods, AD 900-1300 and AD 1700-1900, production strategies were contextually negotiated, with no clear correlation between political centralisation and specialised production. This research challenges existing models of control and the enactment of power in the political economy of the Iron Age. It has further potential implications for reconsidering the parameters for identifying power relations utilised in global archaeological theory. I would like to acknowledge a number of individuals and institutions that have made this research possible. Funding for my studies was provided through a grant-holder linked National Research Foundation (NRF) bursary facilitated by Associate Professor Shadreck Chirikure. Additional funding from the Erasmus-Mundus Association allowed me to spend five months at K.U. Leuven in Belgium from which I greatly benefited. Access to Shankare for fieldwork was granted by the Palabora Mining Company. Special thanks to Tim Paxton and the heritage officers Johannes Malatji, Adam Mhlongo, Thembani and Mandla who facilitated our research at Shankare and also contributed towards our understanding of the site. Guy Thomas,

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The Emergence of Social and Political Complexity in the Shashi-Limpopo Valley of Southern Africa, AD 900 to 1300: Ethnicity, class and polity

Cited by 28 publications

References 0 publications

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

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

African archaeology without frontiers: papers from the 2014 PanAfrican Archaeological Association Congress

‘Phalaborwa where the hammer is heard’: crafting together the political economy of Iron Age communities in southern Africa, AD 900–1900

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