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This week on Influential Africans, we look at a kingdom predating great precolonial African states like Great Zimbabwe, the Kingdom of Mali ruled by Mansa Musa I, and a World Heritage Site in Limpopo, South Africa, Mapungubwe.
The Mapungubwe Kingdom is known to have existed about a 1000 years back, with a sophisticated hierarchical social structure.
Derived from either the TshiVhenda or Tjikalanga languages, speculation is that Mapungubwe (Mapungubgwe original spelling) could mean “Hill of Jackals”.
Nothing much is known about the dynasty ruling this kingdom, but archaeological finds dug up in the 1930s reveal a civilisation rich in culture, gold artifacts, and foreign trading.
For more see video below:
