Faunal remains from MNR 74, a Mapungubwe period settlement in the Limpopo Valley

Abstract

This research presents an interpretation of the faunal remains from MNR 74, a small 13th century AD settlement located in the Limpopo Valley, east of Musina in South Africa. Archaeological excavations undertaken in 2013 yielded material that connects the site to the larger socio-political interaction sphere of the Mapungubwe polity (c. AD 1220–1290). The widespread impact of the development of social complexity in the Limpopo Valley is best understood through a regional approach.However, only a limited number of archaeozoological reports from Mapungubwe period settlements are available. The data from MNR 74 provide a valuable addition to our understanding of regional faunal use patterns. Here, subsistence strategies focused on herding (cattle and sheep/goats), while wild animals were intermittently hunted, trapped and collected. The presence of a possible black rat (Rattus rattus), together with traded glass beads, confirm that the people at MNR 74 participated in broader Indian Ocean trade networks.