Mapungubwe

Near the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers, Mapungubwe Hill was once the centre of a wealthy kingdom. Its rulers lived on the summit above the communities below, a separation that expressed their rank. Gold and ivory travelled through networks leading to the Indian Ocean coast, while glass beads and other valued goods came inland. By the end of the thirteenth century the hill had been abandoned, but its remains preserve the memory of an early southern African centre of power.