A war uncovered : human remains from Thabantšho (Maleoskop), South Africa

Abstract

Thabantšho (also known as Maleoskop) was a royal village, situated near the modern town of Groblersdal, Limpopo Province in South Africa. It is known to have been the residence of the Bakopa chief, Kgoši Boleu. Conflict led to an attack by a Swazi regiment, accompanied by an element of ZAR (Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek = South African Republic) soldiers on the Bakopa on 10 May 1864. Boleu himself, several members of his family and many Bakopa soldiers, women and. children were killed in the battle, or taken captive. Remains of a rectangular building on Thabantšho were excavated during 2003, 2004 and 2006. Archaeological evidence indicates that this building had been burned down. During excavations human remains were found in several areas in and around the building. Outside, the remains of at least five individuals were found. West of the building the bones were totally disarticulated, but the remains probably represented two individuals – a young adult male and an adult female. South of the building, lying very close to each other and against the wall, the largely articulated remains of three individuals were discovered. These probably belonged to two males and a female. All bones found inside the building were disarticulated, fragmented and severely burned. A minimum number of individuals, based on mandibles or partial mandibles, indicated that the skeletal remains represented at least seven individuals. In addition, some very small bones may have belonged to a baby, which means that at least eight individuals were inside the building when it was burned down. The remains of a small dog (Canis familiaris) were also found in the building. At least 13 people thus died in and around the building on the day of the battle. These results confirm the archival information that the missionaries and survivors were not allowed to bury the dead. The remains were buried at Thabantsho with great public interest on 3 December 2006 by members of the Bakgaga- Bakopa community.