From 13th century
Central and southern Mashonaland, between the Zambezi and Limpopo
The Great Zimbabwe state was a powerful political formation centered on Great Zimbabwe and extending across a wide area of central and southern Mashonaland by about 1300. It emerged from later Iron Age communities associated with Gumanye and Leopard's Kopje traditions and was connected to Shona-speaking populations. Its rulers controlled or benefited from long-distance commerce in gold, copper, ivory, and imported goods, while political and economic authority became increasingly centralized. The chronology and causes of its formation remain debated.
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The Story
By about 1300, the foundations of a powerful and influential state had been laid around Great Zimbabwe. The state extended across a wide area of central and southern Mashonaland and shared important cultural traditions with Leopard's Kopje communities. The passage associates this early formation with Shona, while emphasizing that the evidence for its origins comes principally from archaeology and generalized linguistic information.
The state's development involved more than a single cause. Intensified trade brought glass beads, Syrian glass, Persian faience, Chinese celadon, gold, copper, and other imports into Great Zimbabwe, while mining and the organization of labor strengthened the resources available to rulers. Religious authority, ancestor worship, political negotiation, subsistence agriculture, population concentration, and changing social organization all appear as possible parts of the process.
Great Zimbabwe became a major interior centre for commerce connected with the East African coast. Its rulers presumably benefited from control over trade and over the miners and products linked to gold and copper, while the monumental walls of the Great Enclosure and the Acropolis expressed political significance. The extent of Arab political influence and the exact relationship between economic wealth, religious authority, and state power remain unresolved.
From 13th century
Central and southern Mashonaland, between the Zambezi and Limpopo
The Great Zimbabwe state was a powerful political formation centered on Great Zimbabwe and extending across a wide area of central and southern Mashonaland by about 1300. It emerged from later Iron Age communities associated with Gumanye and Leopard's Kopje traditions and was connected to Shona-speaking populations. Its rulers controlled or benefited from long-distance commerce in gold, copper, ivory, and imported goods, while political and economic authority became increasingly centralized. The chronology and causes of its formation remain debated.
Continue exploring
The Story
By about 1300, the foundations of a powerful and influential state had been laid around Great Zimbabwe. The state extended across a wide area of central and southern Mashonaland and shared important cultural traditions with Leopard's Kopje communities. The passage associates this early formation with Shona, while emphasizing that the evidence for its origins comes principally from archaeology and generalized linguistic information.
The state's development involved more than a single cause. Intensified trade brought glass beads, Syrian glass, Persian faience, Chinese celadon, gold, copper, and other imports into Great Zimbabwe, while mining and the organization of labor strengthened the resources available to rulers. Religious authority, ancestor worship, political negotiation, subsistence agriculture, population concentration, and changing social organization all appear as possible parts of the process.
Great Zimbabwe became a major interior centre for commerce connected with the East African coast. Its rulers presumably benefited from control over trade and over the miners and products linked to gold and copper, while the monumental walls of the Great Enclosure and the Acropolis expressed political significance. The extent of Arab political influence and the exact relationship between economic wealth, religious authority, and state power remain unresolved.
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