Laser technology, proven successful in revealing ancient Maya cities, revealed a southern African city that prospered between the 15th and 19th centuries.
Students from the University of the Witwatersrand made the discovery using LiDAR technology that allowed them to accurately map the landscape and see dwellings under extensive overgrowth among the Suikerbosrand hills, approximately 60 kilometers south of Johannesburg.
The results showed a large city, around 20 square kilometers, about five times the size of Ur, the famous ancient city in Mesopotamia.
Archaeologists were able to estimate the age of the city, which existed for about four centuries. It also allowed them to determine the relative wealth and status of each household. The city’s core also includes two large, stone-walled structures that have a combined area of around 10,000 square meters; they’re believed to be cattle enclosures that could have held 10,000 animals.
The information shows the city is likely one of several built by a Tswana-speaking population in the region now northern South Africa.
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