| Melville Koppies Nature Reserve | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Melville Koppies Nature Reserve | |
| Location | South Africa |
| Nearest city | Johannesburg |
| Coordinates | 26°10′03″S28°00′07″E / 26.1674986°S 28.0020311°E /-26.1674986; 28.0020311 |
| Area | 42.93 ha (106.1 acres) |
| Established | 2 September 1959 |
| Hiking trails | 3 |
| Website | Melville Koppies Nature Reserve |
Melville Koppies is a nature reserve and aJohannesburg City Heritage Site inJohannesburg,South Africa.[1] The word 'koppie' means small hill.[2]
Iron Age artifacts can still be found at the site.[3][4] Visitors can walk or hike in the Koppies, and tours are offered.[5] Neighbouring it is theJohannesburg Botanical Garden.
In 1963 Revil Mason, excavating at the Koppies, found an Iron Age furnace for smelting iron ore, either in a bowl or sunken furnace with carbon dating of charcoal found at varies levels at the site shows it would have been in use at various times between 1060AD and 1580AD.[3]: 48 Another more modern Iron Age furnace was found on the northern slopes dating to the 18th/19th centuries.[3]: 48
