Science - Pre-colonial settlers of the Lydenburg area

Ceramic ware dating to 1300 AD proves that Nguni, as well as Sotho/ Tswana-speaking groups from the North also settled in the Lydenburg region.

At about 1700 AD. they built terraces with stone walls on which settlements were laid out. The central cattle-kraals, collective storerooms and the men's court formed the centre of the settlement. The residential units were often joined with the cattle lanes that were paved with stone. The farm lands in the form of terraces were laid out in-between.

Many of these strongholds were built by the ancestors of the Pedi and BaKoni. Some of the remains of the enclosures can be seen in the Gustav Klingbiel Nature Reserve.

Posted: 2008/06/19
Curriculum Ref: 5,6,7,8