▁studies ▁of ▁fish ▁names . ▁Another ▁factor ▁may ▁have ▁been ▁the ▁arrival ▁of ▁sout heast - As ian ▁food ▁cro ps , ▁not ably ▁the ▁A AB ▁plant ain , ▁the ▁c oco y am ▁and ▁the ▁water - y am . ▁L ingu istic ▁reconst ru ctions ▁suggest ▁that ▁the ▁only ▁liv est ock ▁possessed ▁by ▁the ▁proto - B ant u ▁was ▁the ▁go at . ▁Over ▁the ▁centuries ▁the ▁entire ▁southern ▁half ▁of ▁Africa ▁was ▁covered ▁with ▁the ▁group , ▁ex cluding ▁only ▁the ▁Kal ah ari ▁desert . ▁Their ▁expansion ▁only ▁ended ▁relatively ▁recently . ▁In ▁the ▁year ▁ 1 0 0 0 , ▁Arab ▁trad ers ▁described ▁that ▁the ▁B ant u ▁had ▁not ▁reached ▁as ▁far ▁as ▁Moz amb ique , ▁and ▁European ▁sett lers ▁observed ▁the ▁B ant u ▁expansion ▁into ▁South ▁Africa ▁under ▁the ▁Z ulu ▁and ▁others , ▁yet ▁there ' s ▁no ▁arch ae ological ▁evidence ▁that ▁supports ▁their ▁claims ▁instead ▁on ▁the ▁contrary ▁the ▁evidence ▁indicates ▁B ant u ▁speak ers ' s ▁presence ▁very ▁much ▁earlier ▁by ▁over ▁ 1 8 0 0 ▁years ▁and ▁over ▁ 1 4 0 0 ▁years ▁before ▁the ▁first ▁European ▁settlement ▁in ▁the ▁south ▁African ▁regions ▁of ▁Moz amb ique ▁and ▁South ▁Africa ▁respectively . ▁ ▁The ▁import ation ▁B ant u ▁past oral ism ▁res h aped ▁the ▁continent ' s ▁economy . ▁S omet ime ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁mill en ni um , ▁an ▁equally ▁important ▁change ▁began ▁as ▁cro ps ▁began ▁to