Editing History of Lesotho (section)

==Ancient history==
Lesotho's southern and eastern mountains (including [[Maloti Mountains|Maloti]]) were occupied by the [[San people]] and their ancestors for thousands of years as evidenced by [[rock art]]. The San lived as semi nomadic [[hunter-gatherers]].{{sfn|Rosenberg|Weisfelder|Frisbie-Fulton|2004|p=12}}

At some stage, during their [[Bantu expansion|migration]] south from a tertiary dispersal area [[Bantu languages|Bantu]] speaking peoples came to settle the lands that now make up Lesotho as well as a more extensive territory of fertile lands that surround modern-day Lesotho.<ref name="diplomacy.edu">{{Cite web|title=The birth and the existence of Lesotho: A diplomatic lesson {{!}} DiploFoundation|url=https://www.diplomacy.edu/dissertation/birth-and-existence-lesotho-diplomatic-lesson|website=www.diplomacy.edu|access-date=2020-05-25|archive-date=2020-09-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928111727/https://www.diplomacy.edu/dissertation/birth-and-existence-lesotho-diplomatic-lesson|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[AmaZizi]]  people are regarded as among the first to settle Lesotho in the aftermath of the Bantu expansion. The Zizi gained a reputation as skilled iron workers. Both the Zizi and neighboring tribes claimed that they originated from the Bantu settlers who would later branch out into the [[Nguni people|Nguni]] and the [[Basotho|Sotho]], garnering their leader considerable prestige.{{sfn|Oliver|1977|p=614}}