Public lecture

New research at the Early Iron Age settlement of Letaba in the Kruger National Park has revealed the existence of a trade-hub in the interior. Several interesting finds were recovered during the two field seasons, which show that this site is one of the earliest in the southern African interior with trade links to the East African coast, and the Indian Ocean world at large.

Careful study of the hundreds of kilograms of excavated bone refuse shows specialised hunting of large game such as giraffe, buffalo, zebra and blue wildebeest. The skins and meat of these animals were probably traded along local and coastal networks.

The talk, presented at a meeting of SAAS' Northern Branch in Johannesburg, discussed the data gathered from animal remains and its implications for understanding the development of early international trade links between Africa and the larger Indian Ocean World.