Chief of a hill town between the desert and the farmland, with access to grassland and black cotton soils.
On 1 January 1200 Bosutswe is still in its Toutswe phase: its elite's status rests on owning the best herds, and glass beads and a little copper show its links to the Indian Ocean trade through the Limpopo. Within the thirteenth century the Toutswe phase ends in a fire, and a new elite (the Lose) with Mapungubwe-like pottery and houses controls the trade.
Who he is
- Title
- Chief of the Bosutswe hill centre
- Since
- Not pinned
- Family
- Toutswe people
- Confidence
- low
Archaeology (Denbow et al., excavations of the 1990s-2000s): Taukome phase from about 700, Toutswe phase to about the thirteenth century, then the Lose phase with a Mapungubwe-like elite.
What it holds
- Bosutswe hill
- The Kalahari edge pastures north of Serowe
How it was acquired
Occupied from about 700.
Allies and rivals
The other Toutswe chiefs; the San of the Kalahari, who supplied skins and game products; the K2 kingdom.
How things stand that morning
A main Toutswe centre still under its Toutswe-phase chiefs.
Wealth
Cattle, sheep and goats; ivory and skins traded for glass beads; copper prized by the elite.
Military
Nothing known.
Threats
- Drought; pressure from the expanding K2 world
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- Thirteenth century, not pinnedEnd of the Toutswe phase in a fire; the Lose elite takes over with Mapungubwe-style material culture.Depends on: Mapungubwe's growing influence and trade. Stopped by: Not pinned.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Excavated site with a phased sequence; chiefship inferred.
On the map: District estimated round the hill.
Primary sources for Toutswe
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Mapungubwe, the Zimbabwe plateau, Toutswe and the Comoros: the archaeological record (no text; radiocarbon-dated sites). There is no written word from the interior south of the Zambezi or from the Comoros in 1200; all that is known is from excavation. Read online
Sources and studies
- Bosutswe (Wikipedia, citing Denbow et al. 2007, 2008)
- Kieffer and Lindsay, Rise of the Toutswe kingdom (EBSCO Research Starters, 2022, summarising Denbow)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.