Over the decades a great deal has been written about Shaka, the most famous-or infamous-of Zulu leaders. It may come as a surprise, therefore, that even the most basic facts about his life are locked in obscurity. His date of birth, what he looked like, and the circumstances of his assassination remain unknown. Meanwhile the public image, sometimes monstrous, sometimes heroic, juggernauts on-truly a "myth of iron" that is so intriguing, so...