What did Great Zimbabwe produce?
At its peak in the 13th and 14th century, Great Zimbabwe thrived on cattle herding, gold mining and commerce with the Swahili port city of Sofala on the Indian Ocean. It produced cotton and pottery.
What led to the decline of Great Zimbabwe quizlet?
Causes suggested for the decline and ultimate abandonment of the city of Great Zimbabwe have included a decline in trade compared to sites further north, the exhaustion of the gold mines, political instability, and famine and water shortages induced by climatic change.
What was the purpose of the wall in the Great Zimbabwe?
The walls are thought to have been a symbolic show of authority, designed to preserve the privacy of royal families and set them apart from and above commoners. It is also important to note that the walls surrounded and later adjoined huts made of daga (mud and thatch), linked with them to form a series of courtyards.
What was the Society of Great Zimbabwe like?
Historians surmise that Great Zimbabwe was a highly stratified society, with farmers, livestock herders, artisans, and ordinary laborers fulfilling distinct roles; such clear divisions usually reflected a social order governed by a strong, centralized authority.
What is Great Zimbabwe known for?
Great Zimbabwe was a medieval African city known for its large circular wall and tower. It was part of a wealthy African trading empire that controlled much of the East African coast from the 11th to the 15th centuries C.E.
What is Zimbabwe best known for?
It is a country of superlatives, thanks to Victoria Falls (the largest waterfall in the world) and Lake Kariba (the largest man-made lake in terms of volume). National parks such as Hwange and Mana Pools teem with wildlife, making Zimbabwe one of the continent’s best places to go on safari.
What was Great Zimbabwe known for?
What is Great Zimbabwe state?
Great Zimbabwe is a ruined city near Masvingo, central Zimbabwe which was inhabited between c. 1100 to c. 1550 (flourishing c. 1300 – c. 1450) in the region’s Late Iron Age.
What is Great Zimbabwe and why is it important?
Where is Great Zimbabwe?
Great Zimbabwe is the name of the stone ruins of an ancient city near modern day Masvingo, Zimbabwe.
What is the meaning of Zimbabwe?
Many sources hold that “Zimbabwe” derives from dzimba-dza-mabwe, translated from the Karanga dialect of Shona as “houses of stones” (dzimba = plural of imba, “house”; mabwe = plural of bwe, “stone”). The Karanga-speaking Shona people live around Great Zimbabwe in the modern-day province of Masvingo.
Where is Great Zimbabwe located?
southeastern Zimbabwe
Great Zimbabwe, Extensive stone ruins in southeastern Zimbabwe. Located southeast of Masvingo, Zimbabwe, it is the largest of many such ruins in southern Africa. The primary ruins of this former city extend more than 60 acres (24 hectares) and include a hilltop fortress and walls of stone monoliths.
What was Zimbabwe known for in ancient times?
The city was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe, which was a Shona (Bantu) trading empire. Zimbabwe means “stone houses” in Shona. Great Zimbabwe was part of a large and wealthy global trading network. Archaeologists have found pottery from China and Persia, as well as Arab coins in the ruins there.
What makes Great Zimbabwe so special?
Great Zimbabwe has been described as “one of the most dramatic architectural landscapes in sub-Saharan Africa.” [1] It is the largest stone complex in Africa built before the modern era, aside from the monumental architecture of ancient Egypt.
What do the enclosures of Great Zimbabwe symbolize?
Nevertheless, these enclosures symbolize the power and prestige of the rulers of Great Zimbabwe. The conical tower (above) of Great Zimbabwe is thought to have functioned as a granary. According to tradition, a Shona ruler shows his largess towards his subjects through his granary, often distributing grain as a symbol of his protection.
Why did the Great Zimbabweans go extinct?
Speculations as to why this occurred point to the frequency of droughts and environmental fragility, though other theories stress that Great Zimbabwe might have experienced political skirmishes over political succession that interrupted trade, still other theories hypothesize disease that may have afflicted livestock. [3]