Thomas N. Huffman is Professor Emeritus of archaeology in association with the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. He specialises in pre-colonial farming societies in southern Africa and has written and contributed to a wide range of publications, including the highly acclaimed books, Snakes & Crocodiles: Power and Symbolism in Ancient Zimbabwe and Handbook to the Iron Age: The Archaeology of Pre-colonial Farming Societies in Southern Africa.