The spatial patterns of Tswana stone-walled towns in perspective

Abstract

Contemporary authors on African urbanism regularly repeat reports by early European travellers of large Tswana settlements with populations of approximately 20,000, apparently the same size as Cape Town at that time. These settlements, called agro-towns, unlike Mapungubwe and Great Zimbabwe, are mostly described in academic publications, while very few architects know what they really looked like. This article applies quantitative analysis to the plans of the ruins of certain distinctive Tswana stone-walled homesteads and villages by exploring the physical attributes such as size, shape, geometries, spatial patterns and land-use intensities. Sizes are subsequently compared with those of pertinent frontier towns of that period, as well as those of Great Zimbabwe, which are widely recognised and undisputed as urban entities. The purpose of the investigation is simply to enhance the understanding and appreciation of Tswana settlements, vis-à-vis contemporaneous European towns and those of the Shona some time earlier.

Hedendaagse skrywers oor Afrika stedelikheid herhaal gereeld verslae deur vroeë Europese reisigers van groot Tswana nedersettings met bevolkings van ongeveer 20,000 inwoners. Hierdie nedersettings word agri-dorpe genoem, maar anders as Mapungubwe en Groot Zimbabwe word hulle meestal in akademiese publikasies beskryf en baie min argitekte weet hoe hulle regtig gelyk het. Hierdie artikel pas ‘n kwantitatiewe ontleding toe op die planne van enkele kenmerkende Tswana klipmuurwonings en nedersettings, deur fisiese eienskappe soos grootte, vorm, geometrie, ruimtelike patrone en grondgebruik-intensiteit te ondersoek. Oppervlaktes word daarna vergelyk met dié van noemenswaardige grensdorpe van daardie tyd, sowel as met dié van Groot Zimbabwe wat algemeen en onbetwis as ’n stedelike entiteit aanvaar word. Die doel van die ondersoek is eenvoudig om die begrip en waardering van Tswana nedersetting teenoor Europese dorpe van daardie tyd, en teenor dié van die Shona ietwat vroëer te versterk