Archaeological Surveys in the Shashe- Limpopo Basin, Eastern Botwana: A Preliminary Report

Abstract

This paper is a report on recent surveys conducted in the Shashe-Limpopo Basin in eastern Botswana. The aim of the surveys was to document the distribution of archaeological sites representing different periods across the landscape. Previous archaeological research in the Shashe-Limpopo Basin has concentrated on early and later farming communities and sites related to the development of complex societies. The region’s potential to yield information about earlier periods was unknown. The survey therefore aimed particularly to document sites dating to Stone Age and Transitional periods in order to obtain a data base that could be used for understanding the transition from hunting and gathering to herding in the region. The results of the survey demonstrate that the Shashe-Limpopo Basin does contain well preserved archaeological sites representing the Stone Age through to complex societies and their distribution is not limited to the main confluence zone but extends to Limpopo tributaries such as the Thune and Motloutse rivers.