Badenhorst, ShawHurter, KarienKusel, Udo2025-11-112025-11-112025-09Badenhorst, S., Hurter, K. & Küsel, U. Hunting by Farmers in the Central Lowveld of South Africa: The Late Iron Age Fauna from Mluwati. African Archaeological Review 42(3), 475–494 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10437-025-09636-6.0263-0338 (print)1572-9842 (online)10.1007/s10437-025-09636-6http://hdl.handle.net/2263/105209DATA AVAILABILITY : All data supporting this study are included in the article; primary data were generated by the authors, with additional data from published sources cited in the text.Mluwati is a Late Iron Age site in the central Lowveld of South Africa. Historically, this region is known to host several fatal diseases for humans and livestock, including malaria and nagana. Mluwati was excavated in 2002 as part of rescue excavations during the construction of a lodge. The faunal assemblage from Mluwati contains a variety of mammals, notably larger ungulates such as blue wildebeest, impala, and plains zebra. The giant African land snail and tortoise remains are also common. The fauna from Mluwati is similar to that of other Early and Late Iron Age sites from the central Lowveld, where large ungulates were also hunted. The faunal assemblage from Mluwati is relatively large yet lacks any domestic animals. Faunal samples from the Early and Late Iron Ages in the central Lowveld indicate that there are several sites lacking livestock, which is not the result of small sample sizes. When samples do contain livestock, they are represented in lower numbers, and hunted animals dominate. Some of the common animals in all the faunal samples from the central Lowveld include plains zebra, blue wildebeest, impala, tortoise, and the giant African land snail. The area has been an attractive hunting ground for several centuries, where people may have been practicing seasonal sedentism. Résumé Mluwati est un site de la fin de l'âge du fer dans le Lowveld central d'Afrique du Sud. Historiquement, cette région est connue pour héberger plusieurs maladies mortelles pour les humains et le bétail, y compris le paludisme et la nagana. Mluwati a été excavé en 2002 dans le cadre de fouilles de sauvetage lors de la construction d'une lodge. L'assemblage faunique de Mluwati contient une variété de mammifères, en particulier des ongulés plus grands tels que le gnou bleu, l'impala et le zèbre de plaine. Les restes du grand escargot terrestre africain et de la tortue sont également communs. La faune de Mluwati est semblable à celle d'autres sites de l'âge du fer précoce et tardif dans le Lowveld central, où des ongulés similaires étaient également chassés. L'assemblage faunique de Mluwati est relativement grand mais ne contient aucun animal domestique. Les échantillons fauniques des âges du fer précoce et tardif dans le Lowveld central indiquent qu'il existe plusieurs sites dépourvus de bétail, ce qui n'est pas le résultat d'un petit échantillon.en© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Late Iron AgeMluwatiCentral LowveldSouth Africa (SA)Intensive huntingSeasonal sedentismSwaziSothoTsongaKruger National Park (KNP)Kruger National Park, South AfricaCommunal huntingTsetse flyGameNaganaArticle