B2H

8. At the locations of Maputo and Durban, respectively. The Arabs didn't get this far in OTL, but in my opinion it's plausible that they would reach Natal given the greater southward push of the Submission Timeline. The Bantu were already there, and there'd be goods worth trading for -- iron and gold, at the very least. This means that large-scale organized political units will arise earlier; an equivalent of the Zulu empire is unlikely, but there might be something similar to OTL's Swazi kingdom. By the time the European Submissives begin settling the Cape in the late fourth or early fifth century, there might be some medium-sized kingdoms blocking their expansion to the immediate north.

Return to The Journey South.