Mapela Hill is an archaeological site located in southwestern Zimbabwe, 90km northwest of

Mapungubwe The Kingdom of Mapungubwe (pronounced ) was an ancient state located at the confluence of the Shashe River, Shashe and Limpopo River, Limpopo rivers in South Africa, south of Great Zimbabwe. The capital's population was 5,000 by 1250, and the s ...

Description

The town flourished between 1055 and 1400. The site was likely chosen for settlement due to the association of hills with rainmaking. The site is strong evidence for the multidirectional evolution of socio-political complexity in the Zambezi culture, contradicting the traditional assumption of linear evolution where

Leopard's Kopje Leopard's Kopje is an archaeological site, the type site of the associated region or culture that marked the Middle Iron Age in Zimbabwe. The ceramics from the Leopard's Kopje type site have been classified as part of phase II of the Leopard's K ...

led directly and solely to

Great Zimbabwe Great Zimbabwe was a city in the south-eastern hills of the modern country of Zimbabwe, near Masvingo. It was settled from 1000 AD, and served as the capital of the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe from the 13th century. It is the largest stone struc ...

. Excavations at Mapela Hill discovered large stone walls dating from the 11th century, organised in a structure known as ''dzimbahwe'' in Shona, in which elites were enclosed with commoners outside. This embedded class distinction and

sacral kingship In many historical societies, the position of kingship carried a sacral meaning and was identical with that of a high priest and judge. Divine kingship is related to the concept of theocracy, although a sacred king need not necessarily rule ...

, with the site nearly 200 years earlier than

, traditionally assumed to be the first kingdom in Southern Africa. Mapela includes terrace walls, ''dhaka'' (stone) floors, and abundant local pottery.

References

{{reflist Archaeological sites in Zimbabwe Archaeological sites of Eastern Africa