carruthers.qxd 2006/04/17 03:08 PM Page 1 Mapungubwe: an historical and contemporary analysis of a World Her- itage cultural landscape JANE CARRUTHERS Carruthers, Jane. 2006. Mapungubwe: an historical and contemporary analysis of a World Heritage cultural landscape. Koedoe 49(1): 1–13. Pretoria. ISSN 0075-6458. The Mapungubwe World Heritage cultural landscape, situated on the farm Greefswald at the junction of the Limpopo and Shashi rivers on the border of South Africa, Zim- babwe and Botswana, falls under the management of South African National Parks. This article presents a close examination of contemporary and historical issues around the inscription of the site and argues that the value of places is not self-evident but that sig- nificance is culturally constructed. This, as is explained here in respect of Mapungub- we, has changed over time and has been imposed by the concerns, aspirations and val- ues of society at a specific time and within a specific context. Basic facts about Mapun- gubwe are provided and its importance as a contemporary economic and cultural driver is outlined. A brief history of Mapungubwe’s inclusion in a national park from 1947 to 1949 is presented, as is the archaeological science that it spawned. The effect that the inscription of Mapungubwe may have on elevating South Africa’s international profile and on African national pride is described. Key words: Mapungubwe, World Heritage, cultural landscape, national park, archaeol- ogy, history. Jane Carruthers Department of History, University of South Africa, P.O. Box 392, 0003 Unisa (
[email protected]). Introduction (Hofmeyr 1989: 263).