Great Zimbabwe is an extensive archaeological site located in southeastern Zimbabwe, approximately 19 miles southeast of Masvingo. Renowned for its impressive stone ruins, it covers about 200 acres, making it the largest of over 150 major stone ruins found in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
This site represents a significant part of the African Iron Age and served as the center of a thriving trading empire from the eleventh to the fifteenth centuries. At its peak, Great Zimbabwe supported a Shona population estimated between 10,000 to 20,000 people, with an economy based on cattle husbandry, crop cultivation, and the trade of gold along the Indian Ocean coast. The term “Zimbabwe” itself is derived from a Shona word meaning “stone houses,” reflecting the architectural significance of the site.
The site is divided into three main areas: the Hill Complex, the Great Enclosure, and the Valley Ruins. The Hill Complex is believed to have been the spiritual center of the city, featuring mortarless stone construction, with evidence of construction dating back to around 900 AD.
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Great Zimbabwe
The Great Enclosure is the largest single ancient structure in sub-Saharan Africa, characterized by its impressive outer wall and the unique Conical Tower, whose purpose remains uncertain but may symbolize a grain bin or phallic symbol. The Valley Ruins contain numerous mounds that are remnants of earthen and mud-brick structures.
Great Zimbabwe was largely abandoned in the fifteenth century, leading to a decline in its stoneworking and pottery-making techniques, which eventually transferred to the nearby site of Khami. Although Portuguese explorers encountered the ruins in the sixteenth century, it wasn’t until the late nineteenth century that the site gained significant archaeological attention.
Early European explorers mistakenly attributed the ruins to ancient civilizations such as the Phoenicians or Egyptians. However, in 1905, archaeologist David Randall-MacIver established that the ruins were of medieval African origin, a conclusion later supported by Gertrude Caton-Thompson in 1929.
In the late nineteenth century, soapstone figurines resembling birds were discovered at the site, leading to the creation of the Zimbabwe Bird, which has become a national symbol and is featured on the Zimbabwe flag. Great Zimbabwe was designated a World Heritage site in 1986, recognizing its historical and cultural importance. Despite this recognition, the site has faced challenges regarding preservation and funding for scientific study.
