ABSTRACT Mutamba is a thirteenth-century settlement located on the Soutpansberg Mountains in northern South Africa with links to the regionally important Mapungubwe polity. This paper provides a detailed report of the range and utilisation of archaeobotanical taxa found at Mutamba. This research provides base-line evidence on the little understood, but significant role of plants in southern African Iron Age society. The analysis of 100 randomly selected samples from domestic features yielded 11 identifiable species and two genera. The results provide evidence for a potential crop package made up of finger millet (Eleusine coracana), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) and mung beans (Vigna radiata). Mutamba also contains the first documented example of Vigna radiata as a crop component in South Africa, the first tangible indication for the occurrence of malted grains used in beer brewing and the first archaeological links between Gossypium herbaceum and cotton spinning, previously based only on ethnographic data.

中文翻译：

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南部非洲中铁器时代的植物用途：穆坦巴古植物

摘要Mutamba是十三世纪的定居点，位于南非北部的Soutpansberg山脉，与地区重要的Mapungubwe政体有联系。本文提供了在Mutamba发现的古植物分类群的范围和利用的详细报告。这项研究提供了关于植物在南部非洲铁器时代社会中鲜为人知但具有重要作用的基线证据。从国内特征中随机抽取100个样本进行分析，得出11个可识别物种和2个属。结果提供了由手指粟（Eleusine coracana），高粱（Sorghum bicolor），珍珠粟（Pennisetum glaucum），cow豆（Vigna unguiculata）和绿豆（Vigna radiata）组成的潜在农作物包装的证据。