The stone ruins of the forgotten African Thulamela, hidden within South Africa’s Kruger National Park, may represent one of the most significant ancient kingdoms, according to new research. Researchers say decades of incomplete analysis have left the site’s true importance largely overlooked, despite evidence of royal authority, skilled craftsmanship and long-distance trade.
The study, published in Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites, reexamines Thulamela as a thriving political and economic center that flourished between the 15th and 17th centuries. Rather than viewing it as a mysterious “lost city,” the authors argue it should be recognized as a major African kingdom whose archaeological record has never been fully explored.
Hilltop location connected the kingdom to regional trade
Perched on a sandstone hill overlooking the Limpopo and Luvuvhu rivers, Thulamela occupied a strategic position linking inland communities with trading networks along southeastern Africa’s coast and the wider Indian Ocean world.
Excavations in the 1990s revealed a nine-hectare settlement with dry-stone walls, homes, passageways, cattle enclosures, grain-storage platforms and stone monoliths. Radiocarbon dating shows the site was occupied mainly between A.D. 1447 and 1643, after the peak of Mapungubwe and Great Zimbabwe.
Researchers say this later period makes Thulamela crucial for understanding how political power, trade and craft production evolved during southern Africa’s later Iron Age.
Gold discoveries revealed wealth and skilled craftsmanship
Gold discoveries first brought Thulamela to national attention in the 1990s when archaeologists uncovered gold objects buried with human remains. The finds became an important symbol of South Africa’s precolonial heritage following the end of apartheid.
The study argues the gold was only one part of a much larger picture. Excavations also uncovered iron and copper artifacts, beads, pottery, spindle whorls, and animal remains, suggesting a prosperous community supported by skilled craftspeople and clear social distinctions.
New research says Thulamela, hidden inside South Africa's Kruger National Park, was a powerful royal and trade center with evidence of gold working, elite burials and long-distance commerce. pic.twitter.com/tPn4yhmNuo
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) July 9, 2026
Researchers also identified evidence that gold may have been worked at the site after finding a pottery fragment containing gold residue. They say the discovery indicates Thulamela was not only a center for wealth and trade but also for local gold production.
Royal burials challenge long-held assumptions
Two burials discovered beneath hut floors in 1993 have often been interpreted as belonging to a king and queen. However, the new study urges caution. Dating evidence suggests the individuals may not have lived at the same time, challenging long-standing assumptions about the settlement’s royal layout.
The authors argue that while the burials clearly represent high-status funerary practices, more excavation, improved dating and publication of earlier discoveries are needed before firm conclusions can be drawn about Thulamela’s rulers and political organization.
Unfinished research leaves major questions unanswered
One of the study’s strongest conclusions concerns the archaeological record itself. Many artifacts recovered during excavations, including pottery, metal objects, beads and spindle whorls, remain stored at Pretoria’s Ditsong Museum without comprehensive analysis. Much of the excavation archive has also never been fully published.
Researchers say this has left Thulamela widely recognized but only partly understood. The site has often been compared with other southern African kingdoms, but the authors argue that many interpretations of its political structure and social hierarchy rely on assumptions rather than fully analyzed evidence.
New technology could transform understanding of the site
The research team plans to reexamine stored collections, conduct new excavations and survey the surrounding landscape, where more than 100 archaeological sites have already been identified. Advanced technologies, including LiDAR, multispectral remote sensing and 3D mapping, will help document the region before additional evidence is lost.
Researchers hope the broader investigation will answer long-standing questions about when Thulamela emerged, how political authority was organized, how surrounding communities supported the royal center, and why the kingdom eventually declined.
Ancient kingdom remains tied to modern heritage
The study also places Thulamela within the modern history of the Makuleke people, who were forcibly removed from the region in 1969 before successfully reclaiming the land after South Africa’s 1994 Land Restitution Act. Researchers say the site reflects both an ancient kingdom and a landscape shaped by heritage, conservation and displacement.
The authors also caution against linking Thulamela directly to any single modern ethnic community. Instead, they argue the kingdom’s history should be reconstructed through archaeological evidence while recognizing the cultural importance of Venda, Tsonga, Makuleke and other communities connected to the region.
Floods and erosion threaten the archaeological record
Thulamela also faces growing threats from flooding, erosion, wildlife activity, theft and inconsistent conservation efforts. Researchers warn that without renewed documentation and protection, valuable archaeological evidence could disappear before the kingdom’s history is fully reconstructed.
Researchers seek to complete the story of Thulamela
The study concludes that Thulamela was far more than an isolated hilltop settlement. It was a center of political authority, farming, skilled production and regional exchange.
Researchers say fully examining its neglected archaeological record could reshape understanding of medieval southern Africa and restore one of the continent’s most important ancient kingdoms to its rightful place in history.
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