Reconnaissance survey of Zulu kingdom period amakhanda in the emaKhosini Basin, South Africa

Abstract

ABSTRACT The archaeology of the Zulu kingdom in southeastern South Africa has recently seen renewed interest after a long dormancy. Most of what we know about the kingdom comes from oral tradition and historical records. Archaeological research has been limited to the excavation of battlefields, the preserved primary residences of three kings and limited non-systematic survey. Beyond the battlefields and king’s capitals there is considerable opportunity for archaeology to provide evidence that complements written records and oral traditions and that informs us about questions where these records are incomplete, vague or silent. Against the historical record, archaeological research can establish a more secure understanding of settlement pattern, settlement organisation, ecology and landscape use, economics, the nature of non-élite lifeways and how the network of relations amongst social groups and strata that comprised the kingdom’s populace was materialised. The ‘heartland’ of the Zulu kingdom, the emaKhosini Basin, has long been considered an area of high archaeological potential for understanding settlement and society during the nineteenth century AD. Here, we report the results of a reconnaissance survey aimed at relocating reported sites, evaluating their size and layout and establishing their potential for further detailed, systematic survey and excavation in preparation for future long-term work in the emaKhosini.