History of South Africa podcast

Episode 7 – Vasco de Gama reports African dogs also bark and the demise of Great Zimbabwe

We heard last episode how Portuguese explorer Bartolemeu Dias had rounded the Cape and landed at Mossel Bay in November 1488. He was the first person to sail around the continent to the South and his journey revolutionized commerce in Europe – and southern Africa. Dias dropped anchor in Mossell…

28 Mar 2021 22 min

Episode 6 - Mapungubwe, Great Zimbabwe, the first Sotho/Tswana and Nguni and a bit of Bartolomeu Dias

As we heard last episode Mapungubwe emerged from the increased trade between central south Africa and the East Coast seaboard including ivory, skins and eventually, gold around 1000AD. Unlike areas of Africa further north and north west, slave trade did not impact this region for a number of reasons. The…

20 Mar 2021 18 min

Episode 5 - The Mapungubwe empire emerges from Indian Ocean trade networks in southern Africa

The distinction between the eastern and well-watered part of the country with summer rainfall and good soils, and the more arid western region with its mainly winter rainfall is critical to understanding the spread of domesticated grains and livestock. Pastoralists who farmed cereals are called Agro-pastoralists and these people preferred…

14 Mar 2021 23 min

Episode 4 - Pottery and ivory trade between 250AD and 1000AD as farmers fan out over the coastal lowlands

This is episode 4 and we’re at the point where the first farmers arrived in Southern Africa 2000 years ago. AS we now know, prior to this event, there was broad cultural continuity in the hunter-gatherer groups going back another 10 000 years at least. The movement of farmers into…

7 Mar 2021 21 min

Episode 3 – 6000 year-old hunter-gatherer ochre and the first Bantu farmers arrive in Southern Africa

This episode we’re moving forward into the early stone age as it’s known and much of our story covers the period after the last ice age which ended 10 000 years ago. Prior to this the oceans had subsided as ice covered much of the world – leading to the…

28 Feb 2021 21 min

Episode 2 - A scenic swoop through Southern Africa and the ice-age that almost caused human extinction

This is episode 2 and we’re continue our geostrophic tour around the beautiful landscape of Southern Africa after a brief geology excursion in episode 1. Like the rest of Africa south of the Sahara, the landscape features a dominant high central plateau surrounded by coastal lowlands. Any glance at a…

21 Feb 2021 22 min

A Geology excursion and Southern African pre-history – wealth hidden in ancient rocks

This is episode one of what is going to be a fairly lengthy series which by could extend over more than three years as we burrow deeply into a truly unique part of planet earth. Each podcast will take around 20 minutes and at times I’ll be drawing on guests…

14 Feb 2021 21 min