In this paper we present the results of recent laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spe... more In this paper we present the results of recent laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry analysis (LA-ICP-MS) of an assemblage of glass beads from Thabadimasego, an Early Iron Age site in northeast Botswana. Glass beads of Middle East and South Asian origins have been recovered from numerous sites across southern Africa and offer important evidence of trading connections both within southern Africa as well as between the subcontinent and other regions participating in the vast Indian Ocean trade network of the time. Results of the Thabadimasego bead analysis indicate that the site participated in some of the earliest manifestations of this exchange system.
Thabadimasego is one of several Early Iron Age sites in the Mosu Escarpment area of northeastern ... more Thabadimasego is one of several Early Iron Age sites in the Mosu Escarpment area of northeastern Botswana which form a settlement complex that is only beginning to be understood. Overall, the research project addresses the role of smaller sites like Thabadimasego within the social and economic exchange network which is so often cited as crucial to the development of socioeconomic complexity in the Southern African Iron Age. The data collected for this project comprise one of the few high-resolution spatial datasets for Early Iron Age sites in Southern Africa that give attention to the site's comprehensive set of material culture components. As such this dataset stands to contribute to the ongoing scholarly discussion on the relationship between site organization, socioeconomic organization, and group identity, as well as the interplay between regional economies and supra-regional cultural processes.
Thabadimasego is a late first-millennium AD site in northeastern Botswana on the margins of Sowa ... more Thabadimasego is a late first-millennium AD site in northeastern Botswana on the margins of Sowa Pan. Its primary occupation took place during the 9th century AD. During this time there was a shift from small, dispersed independent subsistence settlements towards centralised hierarchical landscapes. The area and period in southern African history is understudied from a faunal perspective. This study adds to the faunal knowledge of this time period. Continued refinement and expansion of paleoenvironmental knowledge will also further our understanding of the Middle Kalahari’s past environments. This poster reviews the background, site and faunal analysis of Thabadimasego.
In this paper we present the results of recent laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spe... more In this paper we present the results of recent laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry analysis (LA-ICP-MS) of an assemblage of glass beads from Thabadimasego, an Early Iron Age site in northeast Botswana. Glass beads of Middle East and South Asian origins have been recovered from numerous sites across southern Africa and offer important evidence of trading connections both within southern Africa as well as between the subcontinent and other regions participating in the vast Indian Ocean trade network of the time. Results of the Thabadimasego bead analysis indicate that the site participated in some of the earliest manifestations of this exchange system.
Thabadimasego is one of several Early Iron Age sites in the Mosu Escarpment area of northeastern ... more Thabadimasego is one of several Early Iron Age sites in the Mosu Escarpment area of northeastern Botswana which form a settlement complex that is only beginning to be understood. Overall, the research project addresses the role of smaller sites like Thabadimasego within the social and economic exchange network which is so often cited as crucial to the development of socioeconomic complexity in the Southern African Iron Age. The data collected for this project comprise one of the few high-resolution spatial datasets for Early Iron Age sites in Southern Africa that give attention to the site's comprehensive set of material culture components. As such this dataset stands to contribute to the ongoing scholarly discussion on the relationship between site organization, socioeconomic organization, and group identity, as well as the interplay between regional economies and supra-regional cultural processes.
Thabadimasego is a late first-millennium AD site in northeastern Botswana on the margins of Sowa ... more Thabadimasego is a late first-millennium AD site in northeastern Botswana on the margins of Sowa Pan. Its primary occupation took place during the 9th century AD. During this time there was a shift from small, dispersed independent subsistence settlements towards centralised hierarchical landscapes. The area and period in southern African history is understudied from a faunal perspective. This study adds to the faunal knowledge of this time period. Continued refinement and expansion of paleoenvironmental knowledge will also further our understanding of the Middle Kalahari’s past environments. This poster reviews the background, site and faunal analysis of Thabadimasego.
Uploads