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Decline of Great Zimbabwe (1390s)

Type Event Region Africa Time 1390–1400

In the 1390s Great Zimbabwe entered decline, with capital population shrinking and trade networks contracting as political and economic centers shift…

Timeline

  1. 1390–1394Great Zimbabwe · ZimbabweCompetition intensified on gold and ivory trade routes to the Indian Ocean, weakening Great Zimbabwe's position as a regional trade hub; imports such as glass beads and porcelain fell markedly.
  2. 1394–1397Great Zimbabwe site · ZimbabweArchaeological evidence shows stone building maintenance ceased and residential areas contracted; environmental pressure and overexploitation reduced agricultural carrying capacity, making the capital unable to sustain its former scale.
  3. 1397–1400Kami site · ZimbabweRuling elites and artisans gradually migrated north to Kami and later the Mutapa Empire region; the Great Zimbabwe site was eventually abandoned, completing the shift of Southern Africa's political center of gravity.

Sources