TK2 pottery: the shift to Mapungubwe

Abstract

The main processes and events that led to class distinction and sacred leadership in the Limpopo Valley are well known. Recent research nevertheless advances our understanding of the development of social complexity and the social process that led to class distinction and sacred leadership. The spatial shift from K2 to Mapungubwe is marked by several changes in material culture, most notably a change in ceramics. This transitional step is now termed Transitional K2 or TK2 ceramics and dates to between AD 1200 and 1250. The material from the Mapungubwe rehabilitation project provided the opportunity to analyse these ceramics, focusing on the palace and court areas. The better understanding of the full definition of TK2 ceramics clarifies the settlement sequence at the Mapungubwe capital where Transitional ceramics marks the first true occupation of the hill. It also enables us to re-evaluate assemblages that were previously identified as K2 or Mapungubwe. This provides us with a clearer picture of population dynamics in the valley. Sites such as Mtanye in Zimbabwe, with a TK2 component, could mark the initial spread of the Mapungubwe state. Future surveys and ceramic analyses in the valley will also benefit from this better understanding of Transitional pottery.