The provisioning of nineteenth century Zulu capitals, South Africa: Insights from strontium isotope analysis of cattle remains

Abstract

This study examines animal provisioning at royal capitals in the Zulu Kingdom, the most powerful polity in south-eastern Africa during the nineteenth century (c. 1816–1879). Historical records indicate the royal family and its retainers at the king’s residence (royal amakhanda) were supported by the collection of surpluses from rural chiefdoms and special herds and crops worked by the army, while regiments were largely sustained by the homesteads from which they originated. It is implied that cattle were acquired through a combination of local production, tribute from allied chiefdoms, and plunder from raiding. In this paper, we present the first archaeological evidence for cattle mobility through Sr ratios (87Sr/86Sr) for 46 cattle teeth and one sheep/goat tooth from King Dingane’s capital at uMgungundlovu in the emaKhosini basin (1828–1839). Relative to a local biologically available strontium isotope framework we establish for the basin, the results show that over half the cattle were raised within the basin. Regional isotopic data indicate cattle were transferred from herd land to the west of the capital, by tribute or expropriation in the south of the kingdom, and raiding is suggested by cattle from areas controlled by the Swazi Kingdom to the north.