Mapping Bokoni: Applying Geographic Information Systems to the articulation of Mpumalanga stonewalled sites with pre-colonial trade routes

The escarpment area of Mpumalanga in South Africa is characterised by a
mega-cluster of complex stonewalled settlements. Recent research identified
the area as Bokoni. In spite of the scale and significance of the sites only tentative
distribution maps existed. My research started to address this deficiency
and provide revised and updated geo-spatial data for Bokoni. This
geo-analysis of the stone-walled and terraced sites employed aerial photographs
applied in GIS. The process entailed mapping of stonewalled enclosures
located in proximity to the Crocodile River as well as classification of
structures according to a complexity scale. This revealed that on a regional
scale site selection was influenced by trade routes, whilst on a local and
more resolved scale proximity to water and during troubled times safety
were key factors. This paper interprets this data to expand existing ideas
about Bokoni settlement patterning, site complexity and temporality as well
as the articulation of local exchange networks with regional and international
trade networks.