The structure of Great Zimbabwe:

Great Zimbabwe Ruins

• The structure is found in south-east Zimbabwe near Masvingo
• The Shona name for the ruins is Dzimbabwe (variations of the name include Dzimbahwe, Zimboa/Symbaoe[Portuguese sources])
• The names means ‘houses of stone’ or ‘house of stone’
• It was the capital of the Late Iron Age kingdom known as Great Zimbabwe
• Archaeological evidence and written Portuguese evidence says the structure was built by the Shona people
• Some archaeologists have disputed this but they are now in the minority due to overwhelming
• It is the largest of several stone structures found around Zimbabwe
• The adjective Great is meant to distinguish the ancient capital from the other smaller ruins
• It could have been home to about 18 000 people
• It was built using carved and shaped stones
• It was built without mortar using granite rocks that abound in the area
• It consisted of a ten metre high Enclosure and the Conical Tower
• These stone walls were built without mortar using granite rocks
• The walls were constructed from around the 11th and 17th centuries
• The ruins form three distinct groups:
• The oldest Hill Complex
• The Great Enclosure and the
• Valley Complex
• The Great Enclosure is made up of an inner wall, encircling a series of structures and a younger outer wall
• The Conical Tower which is about five and a half meters in diameter and 9 meters tall is found between the two walls
• One theory is that the Valley complex was for citizens
• The Great Enclosure was for the king and his royal family
• The Hill Complex was a temple/for religious ceremonies
• Several soapstone carvings of the so-called Zimbabwe bird were unearthed/discovered on and around the site
• Experts think these were made to honour the rulers who were of the Hungwe totem
• Hungwe is the Shona name for the Bateleur Eagle
• Egyptian artifacts were also discovered suggesting a trade link between the Kingdom and outsiders

To access more topics go to the History Notes page.