The 17th – 19th Century Zimunye Tradition and 19th Century Nguni Empire Archaeology in Mozambique

Abstract

Part of the area of distribution of the Zimunye tradition, named after a site  excavated in Eastern Swaziland in 1999, was the result of a process of “predatory expansion” which led to the formation of new small and medium sized  lineage states in the Tsonga and Chopi areas of present-day Mozambique and South-eastern  Zimbabwe in the 18^th century. Finds of Zimunye pottery decorated with impressed lozenges point to populations affected by migrations. A later process of expansive state formation in the 19^th century, by the Gaza Nguni leading to the much larger Gaza has much less archaeological visibility.