Thulamela — Buried Midden North (Kruger, South Africa)
Thulamela Midden N
Neolithic to Bronze Age (6000–1200 BCE)·Bronze Age·🇿🇦 Limpopo, Thulamela Buried, South Africa
About
About Thulamela — Buried Midden North (Kruger, South Africa)
Thulamela — Buried Midden North (Kruger, South Africa) in Limpopo, Thulamela Buried, South Africa is a Neolithic to Bronze Age (6000–1200 BCE) buried city attributed to Bronze Age. Systematic survey and coring document stratified deposits. The site includes a principal platform and ancillary necropolis. Dimensions insula 28 × 42 m; street grid 120 m × 90 m; area 32.2 ha. Excavation buried; condition buried under 2–5 m alluvium/colluvium. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans available.
Why it mattersKey Bronze Age buried-city with stratified sequence and landscape setting at 400 m elevation.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Construction technique
- 02Chronology and phasing
Theories
- 01Elite residence hypothesis
- 02Territorial marker
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3000 BCE
- Period
- Neolithic to Bronze Age (6000–1200 BCE)
- Culture
- Bronze Age
- Purpose
- Buried urban quarter under later deposits
- Rediscovered
- 1895
- Excavation
- Buried
c. 3000 BCE
Initial construction / foundation
c. 874 BCE
Major refurbishment / second phase
1896
Antiquarian record, modern excavation from 1960s
c. 1594 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
22.4300° S · 31.2800° E · 400 m · 3 mapped features
Buried Insula North
insulaBuried Insula North at Thulamela — Buried Midden North (Kruger, South Africa) — insula with stratified deposits
22.4299° S · 31.2824° EStreet Grid Sector
streetStreet Grid Sector at Thulamela — Buried Midden North (Kruger, South Africa) — street with stratified deposits
22.4297° S · 31.2787° EWorkshop Terrace
workshopWorkshop Terrace at Thulamela — Buried Midden North (Kruger, South Africa) — workshop with stratified deposits
22.4287° S · 31.2817° E