Great Zimbabwe: Enduring legacy

The monument of Great Zimbabwe is the most famous stone building in southern Africa. Located over 277km from harare, it stands 1 100 km above sea in the Shashe-limpopo basin. It is thought to have been built over a long period, beginning in 1200 and ending in 1450.

WHO WERE THEY?

Not everyone agrees who the rulers of Great Zimbabwe were; but there is evidence that they were the Karanga, a branch of the Shona-speaking people. The pottery the Karanga make is very similar to that found in Great Zimbabwe.

There is also a theory that the people of Great Zimbabwe may be descended from a community which lived on the site of Leop- ards Kopje, less than a hundred miles away from Great Zimbabwe, near present day Bulawayo. The remains of a prosperous Iron Age society, dependent for its wealth on cattle, have been discovered there.

SCOPE

In terms of political power and cultural influence, the archaeological evidence indicates Great Zimbabwe covered a huge area between the Limpopo River and the Zambezi River, spilling out into Mozambique and Botswana, as well as the Transvaal area of northern South Africa.

BUILDING

The Great Zimbabwe monument is built out of granite which is the parent rock of the region - i.e. it predominates locally. The building method used was drystone walling, demanding a high level of masonry expertise. Some of the site is built round natural rock formations. The actual structure comprises a huge enclosing wall some 20m high.

Inside there are concentric passageways, along with a number of enclosures. One of these is thought to be a royal enclosure. Large quantities of gold and ceremonial battle axes, along with other objects have been found there.

There is also what is thought to be a gold workshop, and a shrine which is still regarded as sacred today.

WEALTH

The wealth of Great Zimba- bwe lay in cattle production and gold.

There are a number of mines to the west of Great Zimbabwe, about 40km away. One theory is that the rulers of Great Zimbabwe did not have direct control over the gold mines, but rather managed the trade in it, buying up huge quantities in exchange for cattle.

The evidence suggests that Great Zimbabwe was at the centre of an international commercial system, which on the continent of Africa, encompassed settlements on the east African Coast such as Kilwa, Malindi and Mogadishu. But this trade network also extended to towns in the Gulf, in western parts of India, and even went as far as China.

DECLINE

There are several theories about the decline of Great Zimbabwe. One is environmental: that a combination of overgrazing and drought caused the soil on the Zimbabwe Plateau to become exhausted. It is estimated that between 5 000 to 30 000 people lived on and around the site. A decline in land productivity would easily have led to famine.

The other explanation is that the people of Great Zimbabwe had to move in order to maximise their exploitation of the gold trade network.

By 1500 the site of Great Zimbabwe was abandoned. Its people had moved in two directions: North to establish the Mutapa state and South to establish the Torwa state.