Potsherds from north and south of the Soutpansberg mountain range in Transvaal were analyzed by PIXE to establish possible trade patterns between the two regions, over the last thousand years. Correspondence analysis based on the content of 12 elements made it possible to distinguish pottery from the two regions, irrespective of where they were found. A model combining elemental and stylistic analysis was developed to explain both the physical movement of pots and the diffusion of ideas.