In South Africa, on the hills around Machadodorp to the southeast of
the country, are the remains of a series of structures built by the Bakoni
people. The hilly countryside is covered with terraces made of stone walls and
large complex of 𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘴.
8. The African City of Stone, Zimbabwe
The Country of Zimbabwe actually took its name, in 1980, from this
archaeological site…. The ancient city of Great Zimbabwe. This city of stone
was the center of the region between the 10th and 15th centuries and covered an
area of around 1779 acres. Now, the structures that remain include a number of
stone enclosures, some of which are as tall as 36 feet (11 m).
7. Gedi, Kenya
First found in 1884…. The Gedi ruins, in the Arabuko Sokoke Forest in Kilifi, Kenya, are all that remains of an ancient town- one that continues to be a mystery to archaeologists. There are no written records of Gedi, but the structures and artifacts that have been found there show evidence of a once thriving town that was both advanced and affluent before its demise at some point in the 17th century.
6. The Lalibela Churches, Ethiopia
In the center of Ethiopia, about 400 miles from the capital city Addis
Ababa, there’s a mountainous region that was once a site of religious
significance. Here, 11 monolithic churches were carved into the rock, thought
to have been built by King Lalibela in an attempt to build a ‘New Jerusalem’ in
the 12th century after Muslim conquests prevented Christians from being able to
travel to their holy city.
5. The Stone Circles of Senegambia
The stone circles of Senegambia are a series of megalithic structures
that cover an area 62 miles wide along a 200 mile stretch of the river Gambia.
It’s not certain when the monuments were built, with estimates ranging between
2300 and 400 years ago. Along with the stonework, pottery, graves, and pieces
of metal have also been found… showing signs of a fairly advanced society.
4. The Ledi Jaw, Ethiopia
As the continent where the human species developed, there are still a
lot of questions about our ancestral lineage- some that have been answered
recently by the discovery of the Ledi Jaw. There’s a big gap in our knowledge
about how our own Homo genus evolved.
3. Meroë, Sudan
Egypt is, of course, well known for its pyramids… but it’s not the only
country in Africa where they were built. In the desert to the east of Sudan,
along the river Nile, there’s a series of almost 200 ancient pyramids, with
most of them serving as 𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑏𝑠 for the leaders
of the Meroitic Kingdom.
2. Laas Geel, Somalia
Laas Geel, which means ‘source of water for camels’, is a series of 𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑘 𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 and caves that
lie about 34 miles northeast of the capital city of Somaliland, Hargeisa. The
site is now dry, but it’s near the confluence of two former rivers, which would
explain why it was once known as a water source and a place with extensive
evidence of human activity.
1. Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
In northern Tanzania, the Olduvai Gorge is where some of the most important discoveries have been made about our ancient ancestors. Archaeologists and Paleoanthropologists have worked in the area for more than a century, and have found stone tools and bones dating back millions of years. This means that we humans 𝚎𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚍 in Africa.
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