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Great Zimbabwe Stone Enclosures

Type Object Region Zimbabwe Time c. 1100–1450

A large complex of dry-stone granite enclosures and conical tower structures on the Zimbabwe Plateau in southern Africa, serving as the political and…

Timeline

  1. c. 1100–1250Great Zimbabwe site · ZimbabweShona elites began large-scale dry-stone masonry projects on the Zimbabwe Plateau, forming iconic structures such as the elliptical Great Enclosure and the Conical Tower, capable of bearing loads stably without mortar.
  2. 1381–1390Great Zimbabwe enclosure area · ZimbabweIn the 1380s Great Zimbabwe still had a resident population and trade activity: the enclosures maintained elite residence and ritual spaces, and the conical tower may have symbolized royal authority; Chinese porcelain, Persian glass, and Arab coins excavated at the site indicate continuing links with Indian Ocean trade networks.
  3. c. 1400–1450Great Zimbabwe site · ZimbabweDue to environmental pressure, shifts in trade routes, or the relocation of the political center, Great Zimbabwe was gradually abandoned; Shona political focus moved north to Kame and Nhalatala, though the stone enclosures continued as a cultural symbol influencing the later Mutapa state.

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