From 9th century
Northern Namibia, near Rundu
Kapako is identified as the earliest archaeological site in Namibia showing evidence of farming settlement. Its assemblage includes pottery, bone, and iron slag, and the pottery is associated with the western stream of the Kalundu Tradition, linked to Bantu-speaking farming communities. The site illustrates the early appearance of food production in northern Namibia.
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The Story
Kapako, near Rundu, is presented as the earliest archaeological site in Namibia with evidence of farming settlement. Pottery found there is accompanied by bone and iron slag, linking the site not only to food production but also to material activities involving metal. The assemblage is therefore significant for tracing the emergence of settled farming in the region.
The pottery from Kapako belongs to the Kalundu Tradition, described as the western stream of the movement of Bantu-speaking farming peoples into the area. Its approximate date is 850 AD. This association places the site within a broader regional process in which farming communities, technologies, and material traditions spread across parts of southern Africa.
The evidence is especially important because settled farming in Namibia remained concentrated in the far north, where rainfall conditions supported staple cereals including millet, sorghum, and, more recently, maize. Kapako thus provides a concrete archaeological anchor for the northern agricultural zone described in the surrounding discussion.
From 9th century
Northern Namibia, near Rundu
Kapako is identified as the earliest archaeological site in Namibia showing evidence of farming settlement. Its assemblage includes pottery, bone, and iron slag, and the pottery is associated with the western stream of the Kalundu Tradition, linked to Bantu-speaking farming communities. The site illustrates the early appearance of food production in northern Namibia.
Continue exploring
The Story
Kapako, near Rundu, is presented as the earliest archaeological site in Namibia with evidence of farming settlement. Pottery found there is accompanied by bone and iron slag, linking the site not only to food production but also to material activities involving metal. The assemblage is therefore significant for tracing the emergence of settled farming in the region.
The pottery from Kapako belongs to the Kalundu Tradition, described as the western stream of the movement of Bantu-speaking farming peoples into the area. Its approximate date is 850 AD. This association places the site within a broader regional process in which farming communities, technologies, and material traditions spread across parts of southern Africa.
The evidence is especially important because settled farming in Namibia remained concentrated in the far north, where rainfall conditions supported staple cereals including millet, sorghum, and, more recently, maize. Kapako thus provides a concrete archaeological anchor for the northern agricultural zone described in the surrounding discussion.