Prestige goods and socio-political complexity at Mapungubwe

Abstract

Trade and prestige goods have frequently been suggested as a source of elite power and change in socio-political complexity. This thesis will focus on the possible presence of the prestige goods system in the Mapungubwe society of the 13th century. Recent research has cast doubt on whether such a system existed and whether elites could exert so much control over trade (Moffett & Chirikure 2016). The value associated with goods typically interpreted as prestige goods, such as glass beads and metals used in adornment, have also been reinterpreted. This dissertation aims to find out whether the glass beads and metals mentioned above have attributes that could belong to prestige goods and whether these artefacts match patterns of distribution that prestige goods would be associated with. Disk beads are also considered and compared to glass beads to find out whether there are clear differences in association with prestige. Change in value or prestige is also considered. The change and the prestige or value present at Mapungubwe is placed in the context of the larger Zimbabwe Culture. Artefacts are compared primarily across areas of the Mapungubwe site and then to other sites. Results indicate that some association existed between elites and larger quantities of glass beads, gold, and likely also with other metals of adornment containing copper and iron. It can therefore be inferred that elites had greater control over these goods than commoners had. All aspects of prestige goods systems, such as the storage of goods and their specific social use cannot be proven. However, the possibility still exists that the prestige goods system was present.