Overview of the Early Iron Age in the Letaba region of the Kruger National Park

Koedoe - African Protected Area Conservation and Science

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Overview of the Early Iron Age in the Letaba region of the Kruger National Park
 
Creator Antonites, Alexander
 
Subject Archaeology; Iron Age archaeology; heritage; early iron age; farming communities; Letaba River; early Indian Ocean trade; glass beads; archaeology ceramics.
Description Archaeological research carried out in the Kruger National Park has identified several settlements of early African farmers that date to the Early Iron Age (EIA) – c. AD 200 – AD 1000. Two large EIA settlements, Le6 and Le7, were identified in 1977 on the southern bank of the Letaba River, opposite its confluence with the Tsende. Intermittent excavations of these sites were carried out between 1977 and 1989, but results have remained largely unpublished. These sites, which date back to the ninth century, have been the focus of new and ongoing research since 2021. The research has revealed that these communities were among the very first in the South African interior to participate in trade with the wider Indian Ocean world. This article contextualises the EIA of the Letaba River and surrounds with a specific focus on the history of research at Le6 and Le7 as well as briefly discusses new research at these sites.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor National Research Foundation South African National Parks
Date 2024-08-30
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — —
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/koedoe.v66i2.1805
 
Source Koedoe; Vol 66, No 2 (2024); 9 pages 2071-0771 0075-6458
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://koedoe.co.za/index.php/koedoe/article/view/1805/3333 https://koedoe.co.za/index.php/koedoe/article/view/1805/3334 https://koedoe.co.za/index.php/koedoe/article/view/1805/3335 https://koedoe.co.za/index.php/koedoe/article/view/1805/3336
 
Coverage South Africa; Lowveld; Kruger National Park; Letaba River Late Holocene; Early Iron Age; AD 200 - AD1000 —
Rights Copyright (c) 2024 Alexander Antonites https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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