Introduction:The name “Zimbabwe” is variously translated from the Shona language to mean
“sacred house,” “venerated houses,” “houses of stone,” “ritual seat of the
king,” “court,” or “home or grave of the chief.”
Zimbabwe consists of the plateau between the rivers Zambezi and Limpopo, in southeast Africa, which offers rich opportunities for human settlement. Its grasslands make excellent grazing for cattle. The tusks of dead elephants provide an easy basis for a trade in ivory. A seam of gold, running along the highest ridge, shows signs of having been worked in at least four places before 1000 AD. The earliest important trading centre is at Mapungubwe, on the bank of the Limpopo. The settlement is established by a cattle-herding people, whose increasing prosperity leads to the emergence of a sophisticated court and ruling elite. The buildings of Great Zimbabwe are evidence of equally great labour. Massive stone walls enclose a palace complex with a great conical tower, while impressive stone granite masonry is used in a fortress or acropolis at the top of a nearby hill. The buildings date from the 13th and 14th centuries, the peak of Great Zimbabwe's power. |