Mapungubwe, situated in South Africa's Limpopo Province, is today a National Park and a World Heritage Site. Between 1200 and 1300 AD this Iron Age site flourished, before being abandoned some time in the 14th Century for unknown reasons. Archaeological excavations revealed numerous treasures and artefacts, the most celebrated being an exquisite figure of a rhino, made of gold foil tacked with tiny pins to a carved wooden core. The ruins of Mapungubwe were uncovered in 1932, and archaeological investigations revealed a court sheltered in a natural amphitheater at the bottom of the hill, and an elite graveyard at the top, with a spectacular view of the region.
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