… Site to be excavated next year
BY PHUMELELE MKHONTA
MBABANE – Eswatini is proving to be rich with historical archaeological findings.
Despite being the home for the Lebombo bone, the oldest mathematical artefact in the world, Eswatini is the home for the, by far, of the oldest mine in the world.
An archaeology team discovered a 48 000-year-old mining site within Ngwenya Mine, qualifying it the oldest in the world.
Aged between 43 000 and 48 000 years old, Ngwenya Mine has been acknowledged as the one of oldest mine in the world.
The excavations in the mine have shown that some mining sites are 43 000 years and some are around 48 000 years.
This information has been breaking the internet and social media, with historians, archaeologist and general people, sharing the different articles on Ngwenya Mine, which is in the Hhohho Region of the country, the Ngwenya Border Gate.
According to articles compiled on the mine, the hematite ore deposit in the mine was used in the Middle Age Stone to extract red ochre, while in later times, the deposit was mined for iron melting and iron export.
Confirming the discovery at Ngwenya Mine was the country’s renowned archaeologist and historian, Bob Forrester, who said he and his team discovered the 48 000-year-old site before COVID-19 hit the country.
“We had begun doing a bit of excavation on the site when COVID-19 hit the country and we had to cease all operations,” said Forrester.
The archaeologist further said they had to use drones to discover the site.
“Getting into the site is a bit tricky. We use ropes because it is almost inaccessible now,” he said.
He said excavation will take off next year April, where they would learn more about the site.
In an interview with Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture (ENCAC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stanley Dlamini, he said it was not surprising that there have been such findings, saying the country needed to institutionalise archaeology and its findings.
“Government needs to have archaeology scholarships and establish a concrete archaeology institution to formalise and organise this sector. This would increase the number of tourists flocking the country.” He said Eswatini was a rich site for archaeologists as it was explored.
