Mapungubwe: South Africa’s lost city of gold

A thousand years ago, Mapungubwe in Limpopo province was the center of the largest kingdom in Africa, where a sophisticated people traded gold and ivory with China, India and Egypt. The Iron Age site was declared a World Heritage site by Unesco in July 2003. Mapungubwe is an area of open savanah at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers and abutting the northern border of South Africa and the borders of Zimbabwe and Botswana. It thrived from around 1220 to 1300.

Twenty-three graves have been excavated so far with the bodies in three of these graves buried in the upright seated position associated with royalty, with a variety of gold and copper items, and exotic glass beads. The finds provide evidence of the early gold work and extensive wealth.

Mapungubwe’s fortune only lasted until about 1300, after which climate changes led to migrations north.

By 1300 AD, the region was the center of trade in southern Africa. Wealth came from ivory and later from gold deposits in Zimbabwe. The area was also agriculturally rich. The wealth in the area led to vast differences between rich and poor.

Golden rhino, Mapungubwe National Park