Fiber spinning during the Mapungubwe period of southern Africa : regional specialism in the hinterland

dc.contributor.authorAntonites, Alexander
dc.contributor.emailalexander.antonites@up.ac.zaen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2020-04-21T13:43:53Z
dc.date.available2020-04-21T13:43:53Z
dc.date.issued2019-03
dc.description.abstractThe Middle Iron Age (MIA) of southern Africa is a period characterized by increased social complexity centered on the polity of Mapungubwe. This article considers the role that fiber spinning played in the regional political economy of the period. At Mutamba and other sites in the southern hinterland of Mapungubwe, spinning was a significant economic activity. Evidence from 187 spindle whorls from the site suggests that intensive spinning of cotton was practiced by households. This enabled hinterland communities to actively participate in regional trade networks and acquire trade goods, including objects that were often restricted in the Mapungubwe heartland. This casts hinterland communities as active participants, rather than passive bystanders, in the regional economy.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractL'âge du Fer Moyen en Afrique du sud est une période caractérisée par une complexité sociale accrue centrée sur la politique de Mapungubwe. Cet article examine le rôle joué par la filature de fibres dans l'économie politique régionale de cette période. À Mutamba et dans d’autres sites de l’arrière-pays méridional de Mapungubwe, la filature était une activité économique importante. Des preuves provenant de 187 volants de fuseaux du site suggèrent que le filage intensif du coton était pratiqué par les ménages. Cela a permis aux communautés de l'arrière-pays de participer activement aux réseaux commerciaux régionaux et d'acquérir des biens commerciaux, notamment des objets souvent restreints dans le centre de Mapungubwe. Cela fait des communautés de l'arrière-pays des participants actifs aux économies régionales plutôt que des passants passifs.en_ZA
dc.description.departmentAnthropology and Archaeologyen_ZA
dc.description.librarianhj2020en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipThe National Science Foun-dation (grant number 1058306) and Yale McMillian Foundation.en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://link.springer.com/journal/10437en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationAntonites, A. Fiber Spinning During the Mapungubwe Period of Southern Africa: Regional Specialism in the Hinterland. African Archaeological Review 36, 105–117 (2019). https://doi-org/10.1007/s10437-018-09323-9.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn0263-0338 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1572-9842 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1007/s10437-018-09323-9
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/74333
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherSpringeren_ZA
dc.rights© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019. The original publication is available at : http://springer.com10437.en_ZA
dc.subjectMiddle Iron Age (MIA)en_ZA
dc.subjectMapungubween_ZA
dc.subjectIron Ageen_ZA
dc.subjectHinterlandsen_ZA
dc.subjectSpindle whorlsen_ZA
dc.subjectCraft productionen_ZA
dc.subjectTradeen_ZA
dc.titleFiber spinning during the Mapungubwe period of southern Africa : regional specialism in the hinterlanden_ZA
dc.typePostprint Articleen_ZA

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