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From Left: Crocodile Hunter; Queen Losha; Skeletal Remains; King Ingwe; Thulamela Artifacts |
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The Hunter of Crocodiles Hundreds of animal bones were unearthed in the middens (rubbish dumps) of Thulamela. Scientific analysis reveals that although many of the bones belonged to domestic animals, the pastoral people of Thulamela also hunted wild animals such as hippo and elephant. The watercolour painting depicts a hunter poised to spear the fearsome crocodile, with a harpoon which was discovered at the site. The crocodile continues to have a significant place in local mythology to this day. The iron spears, which decorate the border of the label, serve as evidence that this sophisticated community smelted and worked a variety of different metals.
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The Queen Radio carbon dating reveals that Queen Losha lived at Thulamela about 200 years after the death of King Ingwe. Measurements of her bones reveal that she was an exceptionally tall woman. The plaited gold bracelet found on her arm is depicted on the border of the label. Here she is portrayed as she may have looked in life, adopting the traditional losha gesture, the gesture of respect which gave her her name.
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Skeleton of Queen Losha The skeletal remains of Queen Losha were discovered in August 1996 and meticulously excavated by Pretoria University's Department of Anatomy. She had been buried in a foetal position, with her hands together to the left of her face - the losha gesture of respect. As the earth was carefully brushed away from the bones, the intricately fashioned gold bracelet (depicted on the previous stamp) became visible on the bones of her forearm.
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The King King Ingwe was ruler of Thulamela around about 1400 AD. He holds a spear, the handle of which was originally covered in gold foil affixed to the wood underneath with minute gold nails. The blade of this spear, which was found at the grave site, was not sharpened. This suggests that it was a ceremonial spear and that it was probably a symbol of leadership. Around his neck are gold and ostrich shell beads, and over his shoulder, a leopard skin. Sue Dickinson imagined what the King may have looked like, creating this regal image.
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Collection of Artifacts The carved ivory amulet in the centre occupies a special place in the heart of archaeologist Sidney Miller. It is carved with incredible precision and is thought to have been worn around the neck of a child, possibly as protection against illness. The iron needle on the right supports the theory that cotton was manufactured at the site. Today, wild cotton still grows at Thulamela. The ceramic potsherd shows a typical pattern of the period. The gold beads were found in the middens and the gold bracelet, seen at the bottom of the painting, was discovered on the arm of Queen Losha. |
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Thulamela: The Legend and the Legacy |
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Thulamela is a South African National Heritage Site. This means that the site enjoys the highest possible conservation status. More than 600 years ago, a peaceful tribe lived on a hilltop near what is presently the border between South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The walled city of Thulamela is thought to be an offshoot of the Great Zimbabwe culture. Although its existence has been known for decades, it was only in 1993 that the Gold Fields Foundation initiated a joint venture with the Kruger National Park to explore and develop the site for educational purposes. Little remained of the original city other than tumble-down stone walls. Archaeologist Sidney Miller was commissioned to head the team of five workers who spent the next 18 months painstakingly reconstructing the fallen walls of Thulamela. From the positioning of the scattered stones, the team were able to deduce the original position, height and thickness of these walls. More than 2 000 tons of rock were manually shifted in the process of restoring the site to some of its former glory. |
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Originally, stone walls were built to show the high status of the royal family, demarcate living areas and provide privacy. The vast area covered by Thulamela's walling is evidence that in its heyday, the city housed approximately 2 000 people. After the stone walling had been reconstructed, the team turned their attention to the excavation of the middens (rubbish dumps). It was from these that the first gold jewelry was unearthed. Other artifacts followed. Iron-age implements, ceramic pots herds, glass beads, spinning whorls, sewing needles and even a piece of Chinese porcelain were brought to the surface. The presence of these items confirmed the hypothesis that gold, iron and other metals were smelted at Thulamela by a technologically sophisticated community who had trade links with the Far East. In August 1996, archaeologist Sidney Miller discovered two graves within the Royal enclosures. |
Miller, in close consultation with the local communities, opened the graves. One contained the remains of a man bedecked in gold jewelry, thought to have been the king of Thulamela. The other contained the remains of a particularly tall woman buried in a foetal position. On her left forearm was a plaited, golden bracelet of exceptional beauty. Although not of quite the same period as the king, she is presumed to have been of noble family.
The archaeological team nick-named the couple "King Ingwe" and "Queen Losha". In the local vernacular ingwe means leopard and losha refers to the position in which the woman was found buried, one of traditional respect. Also found in the graves were a number of ceremonial objects, including a gold-foil-covered sacred spear handle and a set of East African gongs.
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These discoveries attracted unprecedented media attention, both locally and overseas. TV crews from as far afield as Japan, America, Australia and Europe hastened to the site and the news received prime time exposure. Unique to this archaeological dig was the involvement of the local communities - the latter day descendants of Thulamela. The opening of the site took the form of a traditional grave side ceremony in which offerings were made by Venda and Shangaan groups to the ancestral spirits. At the end of May 1997, the Royals were reburied, in a solemn and moving ceremony, in their original graves. Radio carbon dating proves beyond doubt that Thulamela was a viable community long before Jan Van Riebeeck landed at the Cape of Good Hope to establish a settlement for the Dutch East India Company in 1652. It is not known why Thulamela was vacated. Archaeologists and social anthropologists have advanced many theories about traditions surrounding the death of a ruler, an environmental disaster or war over the control of land and resources. These questions may remain unanswered ... for now. |
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Thulamela, in keeping with archaeological ethics worldwide, will be left untouched now for a hundred years. More secrets probably lie beneath the sands of the walled city. It will be the job of an archaeologist from a future generation to carry on with Miller's research. |
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The archaeologist who worked on the Thulamela site for four years is Sidney Miller, a real character, who has an amazing amount of knowledge and wisdom about every subject under the sun. Sidney has degrees in both architecture and archaeology. He is an expert in his field and a true romantic, as this story will show.
The first time I visited Thulamela was when I was asked to paint five airmail postage tags to commemorate the discovery of this fascinating ancient city. Sidney told me the story of how the human remains which he unearthed at Thulamela came to be known as the "Leopard Royals".
Sidney first uncovered the skeletal remains of a woman, the Queen, buried beneath a royal enclosure over four hundred years ago. On the same day, on the way home, Sidney saw a female leopard in the bush nearby. He says this made the hairs on the back of his neck rise, not out of fear for the animal, but because of an inexplicable conviction that this female leopard was the spirit of Queen Losha, whose skeleton he had just discovered
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At a later date, Sidney uncovered the skeletal remains of the King. Again, on the same day, he saw a magnificent male leopard, and again he was convinced that this leopard was the spirit of the King, whom he thereafter nicknamed "King Ingwe" - ingwe means leopard in the Venda language. After spending a weekend at Thulamela, I was absolutely captivated by the place. It is situated very high on a hill, with stunning views of unspoiled bushveld as far as the eye can see. Far below the walls of the city, which Sidney and his team have laboriously rebuilt, is an ancient game trail and a towering baobab tree forest. |
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I spent the weekend sketching ideas for the stamps and becoming immersed in Thulamela's magic. The site has a quite remarkable and palpable "good vibe". Sadly, the time to leave came soon, and Sidney was driving me homewards when we came across a remarkable sight. A leopard, in the middle of the main north-south road of the Kruger National Park! In the blink of an eye he was gone, but he left something behind. It was the carcass of an impala, with only a few mouthfuls eaten by the leopard. We switched off the engine and waited a while to see whether the leopard would return, but he didn't. Sidney just smiled in his knowing way and said: "The Leopard Royals approve of you - see, they have left you a sacrificial offering!" |
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Drawings/paintings above are preliminary sketches for Thulamela Postage Tags by Sue Dickinson ©
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Profile of Sue Dickinson, Thulamela Stamp Artist
(extract from article in Setempe Magazine, September/October 1997)
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Thulamela is a name which has become familiar to many South Africans. The stone-walled city in the northernmost reaches of the Kruger National Park is an archaeological project which has excited the imagination of people from all over the world. Artist Sue Dickinson was no exception. |
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