Systematic regional survey and settlement patterns of the archaeological sites in the Maremani Nature Reserve, northern Limpopo Province

Abstract

The study was based within the confines of Maremani Nature Reserve which is situated in the Northern Limpopo province of South Africa. The focus of the research was on settlement patterns of Middle Iron Age communities between 1200-1300 AD and how these patterns relate to varying environmental variables. The study area is situated approximately 85 km east of Mapungubwe and therefore provides insight into regional variability between the Mapungubwe heartland and its larger hinterland. The paper contextualizes previous site-based studies within regional settlement pattern changes through time. It provides insight into hinterland communities and the type of regional settlement patterns they leave on the landscape. A multiscalar regional survey methodology was used to provide an analytical framework for interpreting spatial data thereby providing a clearer view of the organisation of complex societies within the greater Mapungubwe landscape.