Environment and culture: an analysis of settlement patterns in stone walled structures located in southern Gauteng, South Africa

Abstract

Pre-colonial Stone Walled Structures (SWS) in southern Africa have been studied since the 17th Century. Studies focused on establishing the origins of SWS, classification and other socio-economic components associated with these settlements. The physical environment played a significant role in shaping these communities, therefore making it important to establish the correlation between these pre-colonial cultures and the physical environment. Using Google Earth and GIS Sadr and Rodier (2012) undertook a settlement analysis of a 350 area near the Suikerbosrand nature reserve in southern Gauteng. They observed that settlement patterns revealed a shift from small and dispersed egalitarian societies to more stratified communities between the 15th and 19th century. Using the same techniques that Sadr and Rodier (2012) employed, a settlement pattern analysis was conducted on the rest of the research area in southern Gauteng which is slightly under 9000. Results from an exploratory and a statistical analysis from the research area revealed observations made by Sadr and Rodier 2012 from a 350 concur with the observations made from the rest of the study area.