Overview

This research aims to reconstruct the dynamics of exploitation and management of animal resources during the Middle Iron Age in the northern part of the Limpopo region (South Africa). The book offers an interpretation of faunal remains from two sites: Mapungubwe, an important regional centre during the 13th century AD, and Mutamba, a small agro-pastoral settlement contemporary to the period of maximum hegemony of the capital and located at the southernmost limit of Mapungubwe influence. Some of the fauna from earlier excavations at Mapungubwe has been published previously, but this volume considers new material and re-examines earlier findings. In addition to the zooarchaeological analysis, ethnozooarchaeological research has been carried out in a Venda village. Furthermore, the published data concerning the Mapungubwe area of influence have been collected. The book includes a summary chapter in Italian.

Full Product Details

Author:   Claudia Abatino
Publisher:   BAR Publishing
Imprint:   BAR Publishing
Weight:   0.750kg
ISBN:  

9781407357263

ISBN 10:   1407357263
Pages:   188
Publication Date:   25 February 2021
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

List of Figures List of Tables Preface Introduction 1. The area of research: analysis of the historical, cultural and geographical context 1.1. Historical premise 1.2. The Iron Age in South Africa 1.3. Models of settlement: the Central Cattle Pattern (CCP) and the Zimbabwe Culture Pattern (ZCP) compared 1.4. The region and the environment 1.4.1. The Limpopo Valley 1.4.2. Soutpansberg 2. The analysed sites 2.1. Mapungubwe 2.1.1. History of the archaeological research 2.1.2. The site 2.1.3. Phases of occupation of the site 2.2. Mutamba 2.2.1. History of the archaeological research 2.2.2. The site 3. Methodology 3.1. Zooarchaeological research conducted in the area of interest: the state of the art 3.2. Preparation of the sample 3.3. Methods applied to the samples analysed 4. The faunal remains from Mapungubwe 4.1. Areas of provenance and chronology of the finds 4.2. The zooarchaeological data from the Southern Terrace and Mahobe 4.2.1. Phase II 4.2.2. Phase III 4.2.3. Phase IV 4.3. Data arising from the zooarchaeological investigations of Mapungubwe Hill 4.3.1. Phase III 4.3.2. Phase IV 4.4. Taphonomy 4.4.1. Southern Terrace and Mahobe (MST & MST1). Phase II 4.4.2. Southern Terrace and Mahobe (MST & MST1). Phases III and IV 4.4.3. Mapungubwe Hill. Phases III and IV 4.5. Worked bones 4.6. Diseases 4.7. Biometrics 4.7.1. Phase II (11th and 12th centuries) 4.7.2. Phases III and IV (13th century) 4.8. Economic and social considerations 5. The faunal remains from Mutamba 5.1. Areas of provenance of the finds 5.2. The data arising from the zooarchaeological investigations 5.2.1. Taxonomic composition 5.2.2. Domestic fauna 5.2.3. Wild fauna 5.3. Taphonomy 5.4. Worked bones 5.5. Diseases 5.6. Biometrics 6. Ethnozooarchaeological research 6.1. The approach to the research 6.2. Objectives and methods of the research 6.3. Results and interpretations 7. Considerations and conclusions 7.1. The livestock rearing economy in the northern part of Limpopo province 7.2. Considerations on size variation in domestic species 7.3. The exploitation of wild fauna 7.4. Animal products and trade networks 7.5. Conclusions Appendix Considerazioni conclusive Bibliography

Reviews

'The author's painstaking presentation of research results, including excellent illustrations in the form of photographs, graphs, tables, and charts, enhances understanding and makes for a rich and valuable publication. This book is a must-read for southern African archaeologists, particularly university students and scholars using archaeozoology to study human-animal relationships during the Iron Age.' Plan Shenjere-Nyabezi, African Archaeological Review, Vol 38 (2021) 'This is a novel piece of research conducted on two key early second-millennium AD Iron Age sites in northern South Africa . Understanding how people used animals-both wild and domestic-and for what purposes is fundamental to understanding not only the economic basis of Iron Age societies in southern Africa, but also their social and political relations. The data presented here are a significant addition to that knowledge base with respect to the early development of state-level polities and intercontinental systems of trade in the far north of South Africa as represented by the two sites of Mapungubwe and Mutamba.' Professor Peter Mitchell, St Hugh's College, University of Oxford 'The publication of these new unpublished data certainly enriches the wealth of knowledge about the exploitation of animal resources in the Limpopo valley during the Iron Age. ... The chapter on ethnoarcheological research also represents a very interesting extension of the investigations aimed at a better understanding of the exploitation of animal resources using sources that are not strictly archaeological.' Professor Antonio Curci, University of Bologna

'This is a novel piece of research conducted on two key early second-millennium AD Iron Age sites in northern South Africa . Understanding how people used animals-both wild and domestic-and for what purposes is fundamental to understanding not only the economic basis of Iron Age societies in southern Africa, but also their social and political relations. The data presented here are a significant addition to that knowledge base with respect to the early development of state-level polities and intercontinental systems of trade in the far north of South Africa as represented by the two sites of Mapungubwe and Mutamba.' Professor Peter Mitchell, St Hugh's College, University of Oxford 'The publication of these new unpublished data certainly enriches the wealth of knowledge about the exploitation of animal resources in the Limpopo valley during the Iron Age. ... The chapter on ethnoarcheological research also represents a very interesting extension of the investigations aimed at a better understanding of the exploitation of animal resources using sources that are not strictly archaeological.' Professor Antonio Curci, University of Bologna

{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang2057{\fonttbl{\f0\fswiss\fprq2\fcharset0 Calibri;}{\f1\fnil\fcharset0 Verdana;}} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\lang1033\f0\fs22\lquote The author\rquote s painstaking presentation of research results, including excellent illustrations in the form of photographs, graphs, tables, and charts, enhances understanding and makes for a rich and valuable publication. This book is a must-read for southern African archaeologists, particularly university students and scholars using archaeozoology to study human-animal relationships during the Iron Age.' Plan Shenjere-Nyabezi, African Archaeological Review, Vol 38 (2021)\par \pard\sa160\sl252\slmult1\lang2057\par \lquote This is a novel piece of research conducted on two key early second-millennium AD Iron Age sites in northern South Africa \'85 Understanding how people used animals-both wild and domestic-and for what purposes is fundamental to understanding not only the economic basis of Iron Age societies in southern Africa, but also their social and political relations. The data presented here are a significant addition to that knowledge base with respect to the early development of state-level polities and intercontinental systems of trade in the far north of South Africa as represented by the two sites of Mapungubwe and Mutamba.\rquote \i Professor Peter Mitchell, St Hugh\rquote s College, University of Oxford\i0\par \par \lquote The publication of these new unpublished data certainly enriches the wealth of knowledge about the exploitation of animal resources in the Limpopo valley during the Iron Age. ... The chapter on ethnoarcheological research also represents a very interesting extension of the investigations aimed at a better understanding of the exploitation of animal resources using sources that are not strictly archaeological.\rquote \i Professor Antonio Curci, University of Bologna\i0\f1\fs17\par }

Author Information

Claudia Abatino is a zooarchaeologist and is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Siena, having earned a PhD in Cultural Heritage Sciences at the University of Salento. For this work, she was awarded an Aesop+ scholarship from the European Commission, providing her with the opportunity to conduct research at the University of Pretoria.

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