Great Zimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe Culture

Beginning somewhere between the fourth and seventh centuries, the Gumanye and Gokomere peoples, who would later develop into the Shona people, settled the area which would later become Great Zimbabwe. These iron age people practiced farming and metal work.

The only older stone structure than the city of Great Zimbabwe was Mapungubwe to the south. From Mapungubwe, the rulers of Great Zimbabwe took the knowledge of art and construction used in the creation of the fortified city. It is that stone structure itself that raised the interests of historians and archeologists.

Religion in Great Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe was known in the medieval era not just as a trading center, but as a religious center. It was not uncommon in the Medieval period for trading centers to also be religious hubs. With the trade in goods, also comes the trade in ideas. Incoming ships provide new adherents for local religions, as well as proselytizers seeking to spread foreign religions. It has been proposed that the central tower of Great Zimbabwe may have been a temple of some type, although its use as a grain storage building may be just as likely.

Great Zimbabwe Social and Political Structure

Zimbabwe operated on a series of tributes. Rulers of other smaller cities paid tribute and allegiance to the ruler of Great Zimbabwe. These other rulers occupied the smaller Zimbabwe that dot the region. The class system offered low social mobility. It is believed that only 100 to 200 wealthy elites actually resided within the stone structures, while a servant class lived in surrounding mud huts. Between 10,000 and 20,000 people lived around Great Zimbabwe.

Great Zimbabwe Trade

The cornerstones of Great Zimbabwe's trade economy were gold and ivory. As their skill developed from those of the early Gumanye and Gokomere inhabitants, they expanded from iron to also mining gold and copper themselves. The city itself is located in the most straight line possible, from where gold is mined and the coastal cities in which it is traded with foreigners.

Not being a coastal port city, their prestige came from controlling the trade of inland gold in central Africa, out to the coastal trading cities. Arab and Chinese artifacts discovered in Great Zimbabwe, speaking to the reach of their trade. In addition to overseas trading partners, artifacts from western African cultures have been found at Great Zimbabwe, indicating cross continental trade as well.

Great Zimbabwe Decline

It was around the year 1430 that Zimbabwe began to decline when Prince Nyatsimba Mutota travelled north to establish a new capital, which soon became the kingdom of Mutapa. Mutapa shared much of the culture and trade focus of Zimbabwe, but never built just majestic stone structures. As Great Zimbabwe was abandoned in favor of Mutapa, another kingdom named Butua also took in those leaving Great Zimbabwe. This fracturing lead to a weakening of the empire before it was absorbed into the Rowzi empire.

Great Zimbabwe Significance

The greatest significance of Great Zimbabwe is in showcasing the achievements in the African past. Historians and archeologists struggled to place proper recognition on the medieval Shona people in the face of political pressures. Additionally, it is a warning against poor archeology. In 1895, a man named W. G. Neal of the Ancient Ruins Company looted the gold, destroyed structures, pottery, and otherwise severely disturbed the ruins for personal gain, losing many valuable clues that archeologists could have used. Great Zimbabwe showcases the danger to our understanding of history that comes from crude methods and political influence on the historical record.