Mapungubwe

Timeline

1. c. 1075–1150Limpopo–Shashe confluence · Limpopo ValleyAfter earlier Sotho-Tswana and Lydenburg traditions, larger agro-pastoral settlements appeared in the Limpopo valley, controlling river crossings and routes for gold and ivory into the interior, providing the demographic and trade basis for state formation.
2. c. 1220–1250Mapungubwe hilltop · LimpopoThe ruling class moved to the steep hilltop while the foot hosted dwellings and workshops; this spatial segregation marked sacred kingship and class differentiation, with gold-foil grave goods and the symbolic golden rhinoceros appearing in elite tombs.
3. c. 1220–1290Mapungubwe and Indian Ocean trade routes · Southern AfricaGold ornaments, ivory, glass beads, and fragments of Islamic and Chinese porcelain excavated at the site show the city as an interior hub exporting Limpopo gold and ivory to the Indian Ocean in exchange for luxuries that reinforced royal authority.
4. c. 1290–1300Mapungubwe Hill · LimpopoAround the late 13th century the hilltop was abandoned, with population and trade control shifting south to the Great Zimbabwe area, ending Mapungubwe's cycle as a capital and turning the site into an archaeological and heritage object.