Great Zimbabwe Stone City

Timeline

1. c. 1300–1400Great Zimbabwe ruins · ZimbabweThe Great Enclosure, conical tower, and valley complexes were largely completed in this period; Shona rulers exported inland gold and ivory through ports such as Sofala to Swahili city-states like Kilwa, in exchange for porcelain, glass beads, and textiles.
2. 1431–1440Great Zimbabwe ruins · ZimbabweArchaeological evidence shows the city was still inhabited and engaged in trade during this period, with imported ceramics and glass beads continuing to flow in; the stone city's function as a political-religious center of southern Africa had not yet ended, though expansion had stalled.
3. c. 1450–1550Great Zimbabwe ruins · ZimbabweFrom roughly the mid-to-late 15th century, central power shifted northward to states such as Mutapa, and Great Zimbabwe was gradually abandoned; however, the site retained a sacred status in Shona collective memory and became the source of the later country name Zimbabwe.