Sites

The remains of an iron smelting site were located on the south-western border of the property where the open pit for the mine will be placed. The site, measuring approximately 50m x 50m has unfortunately been disturbed where a service road has been constructed through its eastern periphery. Site IS01 displays a large surface area littered with artefacts associated with iron working, such as tuyere fragments, ceramics, iron objects, ore residues and iron slag. Iron slag refers to melted impurities that were constituent parts of the iron ore, the most common element being silica. As with the collapsed stone wall section at Site IA02, it is impossible to immediately attribute an absolute age and archaeological context to the smelting site as no clear temporal markers were observed. It is also not clear if the site is contemporaneous with the early Later Iron Age site which surrounds it as Iron smelting was quite a common practice throughout the second millennium AD. However, if known historical taboos about iron smelting amongst Bantu speaking groups are observed, the site might not be temporally associated with the early Later Iron Age site (Site IA01) as iron smelting, a highly ritualised practise often took place in secluded areas away from residences, and not within the boundaries of the settlement. This, in turn, might imply a secondary use of the site.