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The Kingdom of Mapungubwe was a powerful Iron Age state in southern Africa, flourishing around 1075 to 1220. It was located near the Limpopo River and traded gold and ivory with the Indian Ocean world. Its elite lived on a hilltop and were buried with gold objects.
Mapungubwe declined as trade routes shifted north. Great Zimbabwe then rose to dominate the region. Mapungubwe is considered an early predecessor of Zimbabwean states.