Great Zimbabwe State System

Timeline

1. c. 1000–1050Zimbabwe Plateau · ZimbabweShona clans established stone-walled enclosures and a cattle economy on the plateau, exporting gold and ivory through ports such as Sofala to the Swahili coast and the Indian Ocean trade network, as the state system gradually took shape.
2. c. 1051–1060Great Zimbabwe site · MasvingoDuring this period the stone city of Great Zimbabwe continued to expand; the elite enclosed hills and valleys with dry-stone walls, concentrating cattle and tribute, and maintained contact with Swahili city-states on the East African coast through envoys and caravans, as the state system entered a phase of consolidation.
3. c. 1200–1400Great Zimbabwe site · MasvingoIn the 13th and 14th centuries the stone city reached its greatest scale, with conical towers and elliptical enclosures symbolizing royal authority; the regional tribute system covered most of the Zimbabwe Plateau, and Indian Ocean trade revenues further consolidated central authority.