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Human-Plant Interactions in Semi-Arid Regions: An Archaeobotanical Study of the Iron Age Site of Mtanye, Southwestern Zimbabwe
Humans have always interacted with plants for thousands of years ago. The origin of plant domestication is a clear example of human-plant mutualism. This mutual relationship has gradually developed into a co-entangled relationship where both symbionts benefit each other in an environment. The eviden...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Archaeology
2020
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| _version_ | 1867613242868629504 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Mushangwe, Cornelius Taurai |
| author2 | Chirikure, Shadreck |
| author_browse | Chirikure, Shadreck Mushangwe, Cornelius Taurai |
| author_facet | Chirikure, Shadreck Mushangwe, Cornelius Taurai |
| author_sort | Mushangwe, Cornelius Taurai |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Humans have always interacted with plants for thousands of years ago. The origin of plant domestication is a clear example of human-plant mutualism. This mutual relationship has gradually developed into a co-entangled relationship where both symbionts benefit each other in an environment. The evidence of this relationship is confirmed by the use of plants across the globe, which constitutes a critical component in the livelihoods of people. It is likely to have been the case during the Iron Age period in Southern Africa, particularly in southwestern Zimbabwe where diversity of plant resources and other economic activities supported the Early farming communities in a variety of ways. Unfortunately, the available information about plant use, the role of crops and wild plants beyond diet and subsistence is widely dispersed. Studies that adequately analyse plant remains from Early Iron Age sites to understand the purpose of plants especially wild in the daily livelihoods of early farming communities is lagging. The labour and decision making invested in the selection, management, gathering, processing and consumption of these plants is not known. This research explored an analysis of archaeobotanical remains at Mtanye site, one of the early farming communities in Gwanda, southwestern Zimbabwe. Ethnobotanical and archaeobotanical techniques, as well as further microscopic analysis of seeds in the laboratory, were performed. The assessment of ethnobotanical examinations and archaeobotanical remains concluded that plants were vital to Mtanye community’s daily livelihoods, by offering an essential contribution to social, religious and economic development in the face of environmental challenges. The people at Mtanye treated crop cultivation and gathering of wild plants with more considerable ingenuity just like other sectors of their economies. Considering that the environment was not conducive for adequate crop farming, the intensive use of wild plant resources likely underpinned their ability to survive in a semi-arid environment for a prolonged time. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/31819 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:33:01.081Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publishDateRange | 2020 |
| publishDateSort | 2020 |
| publisher | Department of Archaeology |
| publisherStr | Department of Archaeology |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/31819 Human-Plant Interactions in Semi-Arid Regions: An Archaeobotanical Study of the Iron Age Site of Mtanye, Southwestern Zimbabwe Mushangwe, Cornelius Taurai Chirikure, Shadreck Plant economy livelihoods Mutualism Human-plant interactions Humans have always interacted with plants for thousands of years ago. The origin of plant domestication is a clear example of human-plant mutualism. This mutual relationship has gradually developed into a co-entangled relationship where both symbionts benefit each other in an environment. The evidence of this relationship is confirmed by the use of plants across the globe, which constitutes a critical component in the livelihoods of people. It is likely to have been the case during the Iron Age period in Southern Africa, particularly in southwestern Zimbabwe where diversity of plant resources and other economic activities supported the Early farming communities in a variety of ways. Unfortunately, the available information about plant use, the role of crops and wild plants beyond diet and subsistence is widely dispersed. Studies that adequately analyse plant remains from Early Iron Age sites to understand the purpose of plants especially wild in the daily livelihoods of early farming communities is lagging. The labour and decision making invested in the selection, management, gathering, processing and consumption of these plants is not known. This research explored an analysis of archaeobotanical remains at Mtanye site, one of the early farming communities in Gwanda, southwestern Zimbabwe. Ethnobotanical and archaeobotanical techniques, as well as further microscopic analysis of seeds in the laboratory, were performed. The assessment of ethnobotanical examinations and archaeobotanical remains concluded that plants were vital to Mtanye community’s daily livelihoods, by offering an essential contribution to social, religious and economic development in the face of environmental challenges. The people at Mtanye treated crop cultivation and gathering of wild plants with more considerable ingenuity just like other sectors of their economies. Considering that the environment was not conducive for adequate crop farming, the intensive use of wild plant resources likely underpinned their ability to survive in a semi-arid environment for a prolonged time. 2020-05-06T13:12:45Z 2020-05-06T13:12:45Z 2019 2020-05-06T01:34:48Z Master Thesis Masters MPhil https://hdl.handle.net/11427/31819 eng application/pdf Department of Archaeology Faculty of Science |
| spellingShingle | Plant economy livelihoods Mutualism Human-plant interactions Mushangwe, Cornelius Taurai Human-Plant Interactions in Semi-Arid Regions: An Archaeobotanical Study of the Iron Age Site of Mtanye, Southwestern Zimbabwe |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Human-Plant Interactions in Semi-Arid Regions: An Archaeobotanical Study of the Iron Age Site of Mtanye, Southwestern Zimbabwe |
| title_full | Human-Plant Interactions in Semi-Arid Regions: An Archaeobotanical Study of the Iron Age Site of Mtanye, Southwestern Zimbabwe |
| title_fullStr | Human-Plant Interactions in Semi-Arid Regions: An Archaeobotanical Study of the Iron Age Site of Mtanye, Southwestern Zimbabwe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Human-Plant Interactions in Semi-Arid Regions: An Archaeobotanical Study of the Iron Age Site of Mtanye, Southwestern Zimbabwe |
| title_short | Human-Plant Interactions in Semi-Arid Regions: An Archaeobotanical Study of the Iron Age Site of Mtanye, Southwestern Zimbabwe |
| title_sort | human plant interactions in semi arid regions an archaeobotanical study of the iron age site of mtanye southwestern zimbabwe |
| topic | Plant economy livelihoods Mutualism Human-plant interactions |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/11427/31819 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mushangwecorneliustaurai humanplantinteractionsinsemiaridregionsanarchaeobotanicalstudyoftheironagesiteofmtanyesouthwesternzimbabwe |