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Great Zimbabwe

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Great Zimbabwe

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The Great Zimbabwe is an enormous complex of structures in East Africa. Since the
builders and occupants left no written records, several theories have developed as to the
identity of its builders and the functions of the structures. Which theory makes the most
sense?
The Great Zimbabwe is a set of majestic ruins covering an area of 60 acres. The history of this
African civilization remains a mystery due to the lack of written records from the kingdom. The
illiteracy of the native Shona have made it difficult for archeologist to come up with a solid
explanation of its origin which has given rise to many theories on how it came into existence
(Huffman, 2013).
The theory that I support is the rise of the Great Zimbabwe due to religious importance to the
native Shona as a place of worshipping Mwiru their chief god. The area was also fertile which
was perfect for the Bantus who were farmers. Large land owners were thus able to amass wealth
and construct permanent stone structures and due to the communal living, there was a need for a
council to make decisions led by a chief who later become the Shona king.
Aspects such as architecture and political philosophy flowed freely due to trade with other
regions and coastal people. This can be evidenced by items such as beads, mirrors, glass and silk
which can be found from as early as 800 AD which shows the kingdom had strong relationship
with other Bantu kingdoms (Huffman, 2013).
The builders of these stone structures were peasants for their wealthy land owners, for castles
and houses. The kingdom also organized workers to construct religious structures for worship.
This acted as religious centers and at times impersonations of the gods being worshipped.

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Name: Institution: Professor: Date: Great Zimbabwe The Great Zimbabwe is an enormous complex of structures in East Africa. Since the builders and occupants left no written records, several theories have developed as to the identity of its builders and the functions of the structures. Which theory makes the most sense? The Great Zimbabwe is a set of majestic ruins covering an area of 60 acres. The history of this African civilization remains a mystery due to the lack of written records from the kingdom. The illiteracy of the native Shona have made it difficult for archeologist to come up with a solid explanation of its origin which has given rise to many theories on how it came into existence (Huffman, 2013). The theory that I support is the rise of the Great Zimbabwe due to religious importance to the native Shona as a place of worshipping Mwiru their chief god. The area was also fertile which was perfect for the Bantus who were farmers. Large land owners were thus able to amass wealth and construct permanent stone structures and due to the communal living, there was a need for a council to make decisions led by a chief who later become the Shona king. Aspects such as architectur ...
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