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Southern Africa and Great Zimbabwe, interior, defense kinda - Coggle…
Southern Africa and Great Zimbabwe
Great Zimbabwe
Established by the Shona people, which grew to an empire built on the gold trade.
The city stood near an important trade route linking goldfields with the coastal trading city of Sofala.
Some time later Zimbabwe gained control over these trade routes. It's leaders taxed the traders who traveled these routes. Also demanded payments from less powerful chiefs.
Because of their growing wealth, Great Zimbabwe became the economic, political, and religious center of an empire.
Where would Zimbabwe be if they never took control over these trade routes?
Concept: Empire
By 1000 the Shona people had settled the fertile, well-watered plateau between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers in present-day Zimbabwe
The area was well suited for farming and cattle raising as well as other economic advantages.
Ruins
Everything we know about Great Zimbabwe comes from its impressive ruins. A complex of walled enclosures on a large hill, another group of enclosures south of the hill, called the Great Enclosure, and more recent ruins in the valley between.
In addition to the stone walls of the enclosures, there are ruins of many huts that were constructed of mud or stone, both within and without the walls of the enclosures.
Most of the stone structures in Great Zimbabwe were probably built between 1250 and 1450
Excavations of the ruins suggest that Great Zimbabwe's society included multiple social and economic classes.
Huts outside of the city's enclosures were very close together, but inside the enclosures they were not, showing that those living inside the enclosures enjoyed elite status.
Evacuation of the ruins...
Zimbabwe: comes from a Shona phrase meaning "stone house"
consist of twwo compleces of stone building that once housed the royal palace of Greast Zimbabwe's rulers.
Great curved walls because there was no way for soldiers to clib to the top of the walls
weren't necessarily just used as defense; also used to impress visitors with the Sstrength of Zimbabwe and its ruler
If the walls were not built for defense, what does this suggest about the safety and security of Zimbabwe?
Cone shaped tower inside
tall figures of bids carved from soapstone
construction may have taken aeround 400 years
Civilization
interior
defense kinda
