Early South African History postage stamps

Early Stone Age Hand Axe
(McGregor Museum, Kimberley)

Triangular-shaped stones, 15 to 25cm long, were some of the oldest human tools made to a regular pattern. Flaked from hard stones such as quartzite and banded ironstone, hand axes and other similar tools may have been used to butcher large animals such as elephant, rhino and hippo. If so, our early ancestors became specialised scavengers about 1,8 million years ago. Some archaeologists believe early hominids continued to acquire meat in this way for 1,5 million years, the length of time hand axes were manufactured.

Musuku
(National Cultural History Museum, Pretoria)

These unusual copper objects date to the last 250 years and are unique to the Northern Province. Musuku were owned by important Venda chiefs and a few specialist metal workers. Made from a mould in the ground, they stand from 10 to 20cm tall, and most are filled with sand. They usually have 3 to 4 rows with 5 to 10 studs each. Solid Musuku may have been trade ingots, but the others served ceremonial functions. These puzzling objects may have represented the euphorbia cactus planted on important graves.

Rock Engravings
(McGregor Museum, Kimberley)

San (or Bushman) hunter-gatherers produced rock engravings throughout the interior of South Africa. Engravings are part of the larger corpus of rock art, and both date from about 20 thousand to a few hundred years ago. San art was essentially religious, portraying symbols of supernatural power and the experiences of shamans - or medicine people. While in trance during a medicine dance, shamans sometimes saw entoptics, geometrical forms caused by the central nervous system. This example shows entoptics commonly called sun bursts.

Early Iron Age Pot
(Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg)

This pot dates to about AD 600. From its style archaeologists can tell that it was made by Eastern Bantu-speaking people. The Bantu language originated in the Nigeria/Cameroon area of West Africa. Eastern Bantu speakers left there about 2500 years ago, spreading into East and southern Africa as mixed farmers. They cultivated sorghum and millet, herded cattle, sheep and goats, and made iron tools. By AD 700 they had reached the Eastern Cape and the ecological limits of their farming.

Florisbad Skull
(National Museum, Bloemfontein)

Paleoanthropologists focus on changes through time in the feet, hands, and face of our human ancestors. Because of facial features, the Florisbad skull represents archaic humans classified between Homo erectus (ergaster) and modern Homo sapiens. Found at Florisbad Hot Springs in the Free State, the skull was part of a hyena accumulation preserved by springs minerals. It dates to about 250 000 years ago, at the beginning of the Middle Stone Age. By this period our ancestors had probably become true hunters.

San Rock Art
(South African Museum, Cape Town)

This example of San rock art is part of the famous 'Linton Slab', from the Maclear district of the Eastern Cape. In general, the art depicts symbols of supernatural power and the religious experiences of shamans. In this case, the raised leg, nose bleed, blood-streaked face, and animal hoof signify a shaman in trance. The red line connects other complex symbols and represents supernatural potency.

Mapungubwe Gold
(Archaeology Department, University of Pretoria)

Golden objects were found in a royal graveyard on top of Mapungubwe Hill in the Limpopo Valley. In the 13th century AD, Mapungubwe was the capital of a local society grown wealthy from the coastal gold and ivory trade. Three graves contained golden beads, wire bangles and other objects made from sheet gold tacked onto wooden cores. The golden rhino probably represented a black rhino whose natural behaviour sometimes imitated that of a chief, and it was probably a symbol of leadership.

Lydenburg Head
(South African Museum, Cape Town)

One of seven hollow ceramic sculptures found in an Iron Age site near Lydenburg in Mpumalanga. Dated to between AD 500 to 800, the heads were made by early black farming people. This and one other sculpture could be worn as a mask, but the others were probably mounted on wooden poles. Some of the applique features may represent hair, body scars and dental mutilation. Originally painted black and white, the heads were probably secret objects, representing various spiritual forces important to initiation ceremonies.

The Taung Child
(Anatomy Department, University of the Witwatersrand)

This skull was found in a limestone deposit at the Buxton Quarries near Taung, Northern Cape. Dating to about 2,8 million years ago, the child was about 3 years old when it died. As an adult, it would have stood about 1m tall and weighed about 28kg. This specimen is immensely important historically, for it changed the focus of human evolution from Europe and Asia to Africa. This specimen was also the first to be classified as an Australopithecus, the ancestors of all humanity.

Khoekhoe Pot
(Albany Museum, Grahamstown)

The Khoekhoe (Hottentots) were pastoralists who once lived throughout the Northern, Eastern and Western Cape provinces. They were originally indigenous hunter-gatherers who changed economies when they acquired domestic stock, first flat-tailed sheep and then long-horned cattle. By AD 1000 they were full pastoralists, moving their animals to new pastures on a regular basis. Bag-shaped pottery with lugs and pointed base suited this mobility. Khoekhoe pastoralism disappeared through the spread of European colonialism.