ORIGIN: Derived from the Shona phrase meaning “stone enclosure” or “house of rock”

GREAT ZIMBABWE

600 AD to 1450

LOCATION• What are some factors that make a

location great?

• Why would people choose to build a city in a location?

LOCATION of Great Zimbabwe

• Between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers

• Huge plains surround the city to support agriculture and herding

• Believed to have been built on a gold-rich mine

• 60 acres• Located on a plateau

What is a plateau?

PLATEAU

area of fairly level ground

Great Zimbabwe

SPECIFICS• Buildings are made of stone• Very uniform and straight• Well planned• In the major walls, the stones are perfectly fitted

with each other• No mortar(like glue for rocks) was used• The only openings in the wall were for:– the entrance – drainage ditches

Great Zimbabwe walls are similar to those constructed for Medieval castles in Europe

WHICH IS WHICH?

Great ZimbabweMedieval Castle wall

Elliptical Building

WESTERN ENCLOSURE/ ELLIPTICAL BUILDING

• Outer wall is 32 feet high and up to 17 feet thick in some spots

• Stretches over 800 feet• Had up to 20,000 people living in mud huts

around building• This was the dividing line between the rich

people and the poor

ELLIPTICAL BUILDING• This was the dividing line between the rich people and the

poor. Several clues led to this theory:– First, remnants of exotic items from overseas were found within

the enclosure. – Second, no evidence of cooking was found within the walled

area. Most likely, this means that food was prepared elsewhere by servants and delivered to the wealthy inhabitants upon demand.

– And third, evidence of only 100-200 residents is shown, while many thousands occupied the city.

– This building was probably used for the King/ruler or for the melting of gold

RANKING OF SOCIETY• Elite Leaders (people considered to be the best because of

their power, talent, and wealth)- Kings- Big business leaders

• Cattle• Peasants – Built the houses for the “elite”– Looked after the cattle– Grew crops

TRADE Imported (brought into the

area) -Chinese porcelain, engraved glass from the Middle East, metal ornaments from West Africa

Exported (sent out of an area) gold to East Africa. East African cities on the coast could trade to other countries.

What makes the city so mysterious?

• They left behind no written language or oral tradition

• Declined for no reason in the 1400s• No evidence of how it was actually

constructed• Walls of Zimbabwe are very impressively built

Who lived here?• Shona people• Language: Bantu• Mainly agricultural (both men and women

farm)– grow maize (corn) and grain crops– Cattle (taboo-not acceptable-for women to work

with cows)

PRESENT

PAST

MUSIC Ngoma (drum)

Mbira (thumb piano)

Ngororombe (pan flute)

What are cattle?

COWS!

Why are cattle important?Brainstorm a list of possible uses for cattle.

Biases about Zimbabwe• “Westerners (such as Europeans and Americans)

argued that such amazing structures could not have been crafted in Africa without European influence or assistance. These notions reflect ethnocentrism, or the tendency to view one's own culture as the best and others as inferior. With the help of modern dating techniques, today's archaeologists have been able to disprove these arguments and expose the truth. Africans, and Africans alone, were responsible for building this astounding and complex city.”

What does this mean?• What does this say about the Shona people’s

abilities?• What does this say about how people in the

world used to view Africans?• Do you think this viewpoint has changed?• How do you think the Africans feel about how

they are thought of in other cultures?• What is your viewpoint?

Great Zimbabwe VideoComplete the 3-2-1 Strategy

on a separate sheet of paper.

List 3 things you learned,

2 interesting facts, and1 question you still have.