Around 700 years ago, people living in hilltop settlements on the edge of the Kalahari Desert used metal items like beads, bangles, and clips. These items were made from copper that had been traded across much of southern Africa. A recent study analyzed the chemical composition of 30 metal objects and found that the copper came from mines spread across four countries, some more than 950 kilometers (590 miles) away. This discovery challenges the previous belief that eastern Botswana was a remote and unimportant area compared to powerful kingdoms like the Mapungubwe civilization. The sites of Bosutswe, Khubu la Dintša, and Lose are Iron Age settlements that are unique because they contain elite Lose-style pottery. These sites are located near the headwaters of rivers that flow into the Indian Ocean, making them ideal locations for trade between East and West. Bosutswe, in particular, began as a cattle post in the 7th century and later developed into a major trade hub. It was known for its glass beads from Asia, cowrie shells from the coast, and a striking gold spiral. The study highlights that while much is known about what these communities imported from the Swahili coast, very little is known about what they traded among themselves, especially metals. Tracing gold and iron is difficult because iron is abundant in the Earth's crust and gold has been mined from numerous small deposits, making it hard to pinpoint the original source. However, copper and tin are rarer and have unique lead isotope signatures, which act like geological "fingerprints." These can be matched to known mines in southern Africa. Over two decades, researchers collected and analyzed metal samples from all three sites. Their findings revealed that while some settlements, like Mapungubwe, obtained copper mainly from one source, Bosutswe received copper from a variety of mines, many hundreds of kilometers away. These included the Copperbelt in the Congo-Zambia border, Copper Queen in Zimbabwe, and several mines in South Africa. Interestingly, only two copper mines in Botswana, Selebi Phikwe and Dukwe, were found in the artifacts, despite the presence of many other pre-colonial mines in the area. Tin, used to make bronze (a mixture of copper and tin), was traced back to the Rooiberg valley in South Africa, 360 kilometers (224 miles) away. This is the only known pre-colonial tin field in the region. The bronze found at Bosutswe was made locally by mixing tin from Rooiberg with copper from various sources. The amount of tin used varied, resulting in a range of colors from red to golden yellow. Researchers suggest this variety was not an attempt to mimic gold but a way to expand the color palette available to the elite who wore these items. Bronze first appeared at Bosutswe around the 13th century, similar to when it appeared at Mapungubwe. However, while Mapungubwe lasted only a century, Bosutswe remained active for centuries, being abandoned only in the 17th century. The level of interconnectedness at Bosutswe is described as astonishing by the lead researcher of the study.