GREAT ZIMBABWE 600 AD to 1450 ORIGIN:
ORIGIN: Derived from the Shona phrase meaning stone enclosure or house of rock 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? area of fairly level ground
PLATEAU 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 WHICH IS WHICH? Great Zimbabwe Medieval Castle wall
Great Zimbabwe walls are similar to those constructed for Medieval castles in Europe WHICH IS WHICH? Great Zimbabwe Medieval 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 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 peoples 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 Video Complete the Strategy on a separate sheet of paper. List 3 things you learned, 2 interesting facts, and 1 question you still have.