Bosutswe: Don't Point Here
Bosutswe means "the place you must not point at (or you will be bewitched and die" in the Tswana language; an earlier name for it is Galesupiwe. The site is known to contains Toutswe culture (700-1200), and Lose culture habitations (1200-1650). Pottery at Bosutswe include ochre-burnished serving bowls identified (along with glass beans and cowry and conus shells) as evidence for trade connections with Mapungubwe during the Toutswe habitation. High status bronze jewelry, lead ingots, and copper from Bosutswe is from the Lose period.Houses at Bosutswe are thatched pole and mud adobe structures during the Toutswe period, and larger, more substantial double-walled hosues with verandas during the Lose period. Chickens, cattle and hunted game dominate the foods of the Toutswe, while domesticated shorgum, millet and cowpeas are seen in the Lose period.
Archaeology at Bosutswe
Bosutswe was first identified in the 1930s, but 'lost' again to authorities. In 1982, James Denbow rediscovered the site after talking to local people and in 1990 he and Ed Wilmsen excavated and found nearly 4 meters of deposits, much of which is composed of the adobe mud remnants of huts and grain bins built between 1200 and 1700. In 2001 and 2002, Denbow conducted additional excavations, and reported in the references listed below.Sources
This glossary entry is a part of the About.com Guide to the African Iron Age, and part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
Denbow, James and Nonofho Mathibidi. n.d. Preliminary Field Report: Bosutswe 2001 to 2002. (free download)
Denbow, James, et al. in press Archaeological excavations at Bosutswe, Botswana: cultural chronology, paleo-ecology and economy. Journal of Archaeological Science
