Iron Age farmers of South Africa

Iron Age farmers of South Africa appears on the timeline as a people or culture of South Africa and Namibia (Central and Southern Africa) from c. 300 to 1300 CE, a span of 1,000 years. Its people spoke Bantu languages (Kongo, Shona, Zulu, Swahili, Luba, Ganda).

Bantu-speaking farmers crossed the Limpopo and settled the well-watered east of South Africa by about 300 CE, herding cattle and smelting iron. The Lydenburg Heads, terracotta masks from about 500 CE, come from one of their sites.

See Iron Age farmers of South Africa on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates: c. 300 to 1300 CE
Duration: 1,000 years
Type: People or culture
Region: South Africa and Namibia, Central and Southern Africa
Language family: Bantu

Neighbours in Central and Southern Africa

Swahili city-states c. 800 to 1700 CE
Kingdom of Zimbabwe c. 1220 to 1450 CE
Kingdom of Buganda c. 1300 to 1966 CE
Kilwa Sultanate c. 957 to 1513 CE
Kingdom of Mapungubwe c. 1075 to 1220 CE

Elsewhere in the world at the same time

Republic of Venice c. 697 to 1797 CE, Europe
Byzantine Empire 395 to 1453 CE, Europe
Byzantine Empire 395 to 1453 CE, Middle East
Ghana Empire (Wagadu) c. 300 to 1200 CE, North and West Africa
Holy Roman Empire 962 to 1806 CE, Europe
Kingdom of Aksum c. 100 to 940 CE, North and West Africa
Srivijaya c. 650 to 1377 CE, Southeast Asia
Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty) 1270 to 1974 CE, North and West Africa
Moche (Mochica) c. 100 to 800 CE, South America
Teotihuacan c. 100 BCE to 550 CE, Mesoamerica and Caribbean

Questions

When did Iron Age farmers of South Africa exist?

c. 300 to 1300 CE, about 1,000 years. These dates are approximate, because the evidence for its beginning or end is uncertain.

Where was Iron Age farmers of South Africa?

South Africa and Namibia, in Central and Southern Africa.

What language did Iron Age farmers of South Africa speak?

Bantu. This family includes Kongo, Shona, Zulu, Swahili, Luba, Ganda.