Artifacts from as far as India were traded to this kingdom in exchange for gold, and it shows early evidence of class hierarchy in Africa, with the wealthy living higher on a hill and being buried with gold objects. For 10 points each:
[10h] Name this medieval kingdom on the Limpopo River. South Africa’s highest award for merit is named for this kingdom.
ANSWER: Kingdom of Mapungubwe (mah-poon-GOOB-way)
[10m] The badge of the Order of Mapungubwe portrays a gold-coated sculpture of one of these animals, the best known artifact of the kingdom. A now-extinct Siberian variant of these animals covered in fur may have inspired a mythical creature.
ANSWER: rhinoceros [accept variants mentioning rhinoceros] (The Siberian rhino may have inspired the unicorn.)
[10e] Historians once theorized that the people of Mapungubwe also built this site to its north, which was inhabited by the Shona people around the same time period and lends its name to a modern country.
ANSWER: Great Zimbabwe [prompt on Zimbabwe]
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