The stratigraphy on the acropolis indicates that a social transition from period ii to iii probably occurred at zimbabwe and was not the result of an immigrant group, and the short chronology places this transition around a. Great zimbabwe civilizationthe state of great zimbabwe which had its centre in masvingo. The early shona created great zimbabwe using stones with no mortar. Construction of the stone buildings started in the 11th century and continued for over 300 years. Decline there are several theories about the decline of great zimbabwe. The kingdom of mutapa sometimes referred to as the mutapa empire, mwenemutapa, shona. Monomotapa was a bakalanga kingdom which was centered in the zambezi valley in what are the modern states of northern zimbabwe, north western mozambique and south eastern zambia. The population of the state has been estimated to have been in the region of eleven thousand but d. The period of prosperity at great zimbabwe was, however, followed by decline and abandonment due to shortages of food, pastures and natural resources in general, not only at great zimbabwe, but in the citys most immediate neighbourhood.
The mysterious stone kingdom of the great zimbabwe. Pgde uz the decline of great zimbabwe state the factors that. The decline of great zimbabwe is poorly known due to limited archaeological data and vague historical sources. Environmental data indicates that great zimbabwe declined when climatic. The black and red soils around the great zimbabwe area were especially suited for agriculture. The first inhabitants of great zimbabwe were shonaspeaking peoples who likely settled in the region as early as 400 c. Pdf the stratigraphy on the acropolis indicates that a social. What factors account for the rise of great zimbabwe.
The empire was ruled by a hereditary monarchy of elites. Great zimbabwe, extensive stone ruins of an african iron age city. Succession disputes which often led to civil wars and factionalism. If ecological factors were on the forefront in the rise of great zimbabwe state, it is no surprise that they played the same role in its decline. Great zimbabwe ruins and those who fought for the truth great zimbabwe was a medieval city of unparalleled architecture in southern africa. Great simbabwe was the capital of the kingdom of zimbabwe during the countrys late iron age. The african ejournals project has digitized full text of articles of eleven social science. The great zimbabwe was the first great empire to arise in southern africa. What factors account for the rise of great zimbabwe answers. Mwene we mutapa or more commonly and modern munhumutapa. Great zimbabwe is a ruined city in the southeastern hills of zimbabwe near lake mutirikwe and the town of masvingo.
The solid structures of great zimbabwe were built over quite a long period from approximately 1200 years ad to 1450 years ad. Ecological factors factors to do with the environmentnatural surroundings if ecological factors were on the forefront in the rise of great zimbabwe state, it is no surprise that they played the same role in its decline. To think that such a state of its magnitude would collapse was unheard of, but it eventually did. The inability of great zimbabwe to control other lineages. They probably were not absorbed by the zulu at any time. Some of the reasons to explain the collapse of the majestic house of stone include. Explain the social structure, unique aspects, and decline of great zimbabwe.
Great zimbabwe and related sites south african history online. Great zimbabwe civilizationthe state of great zimbabwe which had its centre in masvingo ecological factors factors to do with the environmentnatural surroundings if ecological factors were on the forefront in the rise of great zimbabwe state, it is no surprise that they played the same role in its decline. Its successor in the southwest was torwa, with its centre at the area of the rozwi confederacy fluctuated, and its influence extended over much of presentday zimbabwe and perhaps westward into botswana and southward into northeastern south africa. There are several reasons why the great zimbabwe state kingdom fell viz. Great zimbabwe may have developed as a direct result of the arab gold trade. It lies in southeastern zimbabwe, about 19 miles 30 km southeast of masvingo. Great zimbabwe was a predecessor of modern cities, as it included areas for public gatherings, markets, worship, housing and food storage. Past research has concluded that the economic decline of zimbabwe has mainly been caused by poor monetary policies and failure of fiscal policies. The african ejournals project has digitized full text of. Its inhabitants traded gold and ivory to visiting merchants from the swahili coast, arabia and india in exchange for porcelain, cloth and glass. Reconceptualizing decline, abandonment, and reoccupation of an ancient polity, a. The suffered decline in gold trade compared to sites further north lead to the citys ruin and ultimate abandonment. The central area of ruins extends about 200 acres 80 hectares.
Reasons for the fall of the great zimbabwe state free. Beach believed that further research would probably reflect a greater number. Examine the factors that led to the decline of great zimbabwe state. Located over 150 miles from harare, it stands 1,100 km above sea level on the harare plateau in the shashelimpopo basin. Although the great zanzibar area had rainfall patterns generally good enough to support the cultivation of crops like sorghum, millet, beans, and squash and promote good pasturage for cattle and sheep, droughts occurred from time to time and they contributed to the decline of the state. Like many of the other african citystates at the time, zimbabwe was heavily boosted by the active commerce conducted with inhabitants of the eurasian continent. The ndebele state by julian cobbing the ndebele state was ruled by khumalo kings who had emerged from the nduandwe. Built 900 years ago, the massive stone structures of the great zimbabwe create a breathtaking view, leaving visitors to wonder about the historical events that transpired many centuries ago.
The rise and fall of great zimbabwe scientific research has shown that great zimbabwe was founded in the 11th century by a lost bantu civilization, the shona. Goes claimed that the king of monomotapa keeps great state, and is served on. Great zimbabwe is the largest of about 250 similarly dated mortarless stone structures in africa, called collectively zimbabwe culture sites. In this video manners msongelwa explains the causes of the decline of great zimbabwe. What were the reasons of the rise of great zimbabwe. Another source great zimbabwe enduring legacy the monument of great zimbabwe is the most famous stone building in southern africa. Eventually, developments led to the formation of the great zimbabwe state at the end of the 11 th century. Biologists and historians both agree that change is the only thing that lasts, and that species and cultures which seem to be ancient and eternal may vanish in the future or may already be on their way out.
Great zimbabwe, a city state built on the highland plateau area, existed from around 0 to 1525. Great zimbabwe probably controlled a state marked 2, which took over from. Reasons for the rise of the great zimbabwe state free. The highest point of the empire was mid fifteenth century. It is thought that great zimbabwe was ruled over by the karanga people who are an offshoot of the shona people. Exhaustion of soils due to continuous farming, scarcity of important resources like firewood and pasture and drought are some of the ecological factors implicated in the decline of great zimbabwe. The mutapa state is believed to have been an iron age state which spanned across three centuries till its decline in the 19 th century. The great zimbabwe site was a safe haven high enough to avoid the flies, and this allowed the shonaspeaking migrants to farm and raise their cattle. The rise of ambitious leaders who oppressed the people and declared war on each other. Overpopulation was another factor that contributed to the decline of the great zimbabwe state. The mutapa state arose in the fifteenth century from the northward expansion of the great zimbabwe tradition, having been founded by nyatsimba mutota from great zimbabwe after he was sent to find new sources of salt in the north. Great zimbabwe, leading shona power, is part of widespread trade network 1500s inhabitants slowly abandon great zimbabwe.
The shona cultivated a number of crops that sustained them and thus were able to build a large state. The rise of the mutapa was greatly due to the decline and abandonment of great zimbabwe due to shortages of food, pastures and natural resources in general. Are almost all that remains of the zimbabwe state and its successors. The origin and spread of social complexity in southern africa article pdf available in journal of anthropological archaeology 281. For the past decade, zimbabwe has been experiencing an economic decline that has resulted in an inflation rate of 231 million percent and an unemployment rate of over 90 percent. Environmental data indicates that great zimbabwe declined when climatic conditions were favourable, which may have prompted the ruling. The great zimbabwe empire is believed to have declined due to depletion of its soil fertility. Whatever the figure it appears that great zimbabwe probably grew too. The factors that led to the decline of great zimbabwe state can be classified into three that is, economic factors, political factors and social factors. Great zimbabwe in historical archaeology university of pretoria. Pwiti argues that if one of the reasons for the collapse of great zimbabwe was the shift in the focus of trade to the north, then it is logical to credit the early rulers of the mutapa state with the introduction of large scale external trade in northern zimbabwe.
It was the capital of the kingdom of zimbabwe during the countrys late iron age. In the second half of the 15th century great zimbabwe came to an abrupt end. David beach believes that the city and its state, the kingdom of zimbabwe. The rise and fall of zimbabwe article pdf available in the journal of african history 3. There are several reasons for the rise of the great zimbabwe state. For the east african city states, indian ocean trade was by far the most significant. Great zimbabwe were of african origin and not constructed by people from another continent. Overpopulation was another factor that contributed to the decline of the great zanzibar state. Construction on the city began in the 11th century and continued until it was abandoned in the 15th century.
Great zimbabwe is a ruined city in the southeastern hills of zimbabwe near lake mutirikwe. Links have also been established between the gold mines of zimbabwe and the indian goldfields of kolar and mysore by the historian roger summers. During the zulundwandwe wars of 181820 the khumalo were ejected and one of them, mzilikazi, came to dominate a mixed band of maraiders in search of more peaceful pastures. The achievements and challenges of zimbabwe world trek. Zimbabwe is home to one of the most stunning historical monuments in africa the monument of the great zimbabwe. The ndebele state by julian cobbing the ndebele state. It is more likely that zimbabwe is a typical case of secondary state formation. The population of the state has been estimated to have been in the.
The mutapa western adaptation of the munhumutapa or mwenemutapa or monomutapa depending on the shona dialect was one of western mozambique and present day zimbabwe s greatest kingdoms. Rich soils the availability of rich agricultural soils. However, recent research has established that great zimbabwe declined at a time. Great zimbabwe is a massive african iron age settlement and drystone monument located near the town of masvingo in central zimbabwe. The rise of the mutapa state was coined by the factors that led to the decline of the great zimbabwe state such as.