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The great Zimbabwe
The Great Zimbabwe was an important city in southern Africa.
Well suited for farming and cattle raising.
The ruins
Zimbabwe, comes from a shona phrase "stone houses"
Two complexs stone buildings
Once housed the royal palace of great Zimbabwe rulers
Great curving stone wall around the ruins
No way for soldiers to climb to the top of the walls
Archaeologists believe they were not used as defence though.
But built to impress visitors
Between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rovers
Sat right near an important trade route linking the goldfields to coastal cities.
Eventually Zimbabwe controlled theses trade routes.
Demanded money from less powerful chiefs.
Rulers taxed people who used the trade routes
INside the walls there is a cone shaped tower
Probably practiced the Shona religoin of today.
Tall figures of birds among the ruins
Carved from soapstone
Also believed it took 400 years to construct
Cattle eating the grass worn it out.
Power: The complexity of the ruins had power of enemy to intimidate them.
Farming worn out the soil and people had to use up the salt and timber.
It could no longer support a large population
Location
Location
Trade
Trade
Why where the ruins so important?
Gained imperialism
Gained imperialism