THE GREAT ZIMBABWE

activity looks at a fifth kingdom of Africa called Great Zimbabwe. As opposed to the other kingdoms we have looked at so far, which were in the northern half of Africa, Great Zimbabwe was in southern Africa. Read the text below, which will tell you about the history of Great Zimbabwe. Following this text is more information on people living in the interior of East and Central Africa around the time of the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe. These are regions of Africa that most people today do not know much about. As you read through these texts, think about why certain events and periods in African history tend to be better known than others. At the end of this activity, you will be asked to do a short writing assignment that addresses this issue


Great Zimbabwe
The word Zimbabwe literally means "stone dwelling" in the Shona language. Thus, Great Zimbabwe is appropriately named because it is indeed a great stone dwelling! The pictures below show parts of the ruins of Great Zimbabwe as they can be seen today by people who visit the country of Zimbabwe.

Possible site of training of young people for adulthood at Great Zimbabwe ruins
What or who created these stone ruins? What is the story of the people who once lived there? These are questions that historians have been trying to answer. By examining the ruins and dating the materials found within them, historians have been able to piece together the lives of people who built and dwelled in Great Zimbabwe.





The ruins of Great Zimbabwe are remains of what was once a great trading civilization, which sprang up in the interior of southern Africa. Although the civilization had some contact with outside groups, modern historians have agreed that Great Zimbabwe was built and managed by Africans living in the interior. It was a center of gold and ivory trade. Towards the latter part of the history of Great Zimbabwe, evidence suggests that the people living there were trading with regions as far as China, Persia, and Syria.

People living at Great Zimbabwe also practiced agriculture and cattle herding, although historians believe that this became a problem after awhile. Too many people living and farming one small area led to environmental degradation. Eventually the land was no longer able to sustain such a large number of people.