Mapungubwe – The Lost City of Gold 1

Mapungubwe The Lost City of Gold existed in what is now the Limpopo Province (formerly Transvaal). Archeological digs have shown that this advanced and sophisticated civilization was in existence around 900 AD until, due to climate change, about 400 years later the inhabitants started to drift Northwards and eventually formed the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe. The inhabitants of Mapungubwe are believed to be the first class based society in Southern Africa and their prosperity came to them through their trading practices with East Africa, Egypt, India and China.

Excavations in the area began as far back as 1932 by the University of Pretoria archeological dept., but the findings were kept top secret and not released to the general public at that time and stayed a well kept secret until just before the elections that brought about the New South Africa.

However in the 1980’s the site was declared a national monument and archeological digs continued but the findings not released to the general public.  It was only in 2002 when, during renovations at the University of Pretoria, the architect Mr Moorrees Janse van Rensburg came across a locked room without any available keys. He broke through the door and found that the room was filled with small boxes containing priceless gold artifacts that had come from the site at Mapungubwe.  It is not known yet how they got there but it is believed that they had been hidden so that the secret of the advanced civilization of Mapungubwe would not be found out by the general public of the then Apartheid South Africa.

Besides the gold artifacts there were also other artifacts in a wide assortment of materials, there were pottery, Chinese Celadon ware and figurines, carved items of ivory and bone and refined iron and copper .  All the dating  from approximately 1000 AD to 1300 AD .

There is a permanent display at the University of Pretoria with exhibits from the Lost City of a selection of materials which include gold ornaments, the famous golden rhino, ivory, ceramics and much more.