Origins of Great Zimbabwe -9-

LEARNING AREA: HISTORY

TOPIC: Development of Zimbabwean Societies

SUB-TOPIC: State Formation: Great Zimbabwe

OBJECTIVES: 1.Describe the factors which led to the rise of Great Zimbabwe.

INTRODUCTION
The rise of Great Zimbabwe State was as a result of several factors. The state rose immediately
after the fall of Mapungubwe. There is heated debate on when the state rose to prominence. The
state arguably rose between 1100ADand 1250AD.The factors that led to the rise of Great
Zimbabwe State can be classified into three that is economic factors, political factors and social
factors.

• Good fertile land. The Great Zimbabwe plateau was rich in red and black soils which are
suitable for agriculture.
• The Shona people grew a variety of crops
• To add on the plateau had good pastures suitable for livestock rearing.
• The area had good sweet and or palatable grass, free from tsetse fly which made it
suitable for livestock production.
 ACTIVITY
Research on the purpose of Great Zimbabwe

• It is important to observe that agriculture created a strong economy that brought with it
political power over smaller groups.
• Religion was one of the most important factors which led to the rise of the state
• The site was regarded as a religious centre
• Mining of gold, copper and iron ore led to the rise of the state. Availability of large gold
and salt deposits led to the rise of a strong state as a result of the control over mineral
wealth.
• Trade was another significant factor which led to the rise of the state. Its nearness to
Delagoa Bay a trade centre and its control of external trade contributed to its rise.
• Its closeness to the perennial river such as Mutirikwi led to the rise of the state

ACTIVITY
To what extent did the economic factors lead to the rise of Great Zimbabwe?

MAGUTA TAFARA
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The Economy of Great Zimbabwe -10-

LEARNING AREA: HISTORY

TOPIC: Development of Zimbabwean Societies

SUB-TOPIC: State Formation: Great Zimbabwe

OBJECTIVES: 1.Describe the economic activities of Great Zimbabwe

INTRODUCTION
The economy of Great Zimbabwe was diversified. The people of Great Zimbabwe carried out
various economic activities such as agriculture, mining, trade, blacksmithing, hunting, gathering,
pottery, tribute payment and craftwork which hall be scrutinized below.
• Agriculture was the major economic activity of the people at Great Zimbabwe
• They grew crops such as millet, sorghum, melons, pumpkins and many others
• Items were for both internal and external trade
• Domestic consumption
• Payment of tribute
• Payment of bride price
• Brewing beer
• To add on, people of Great Zimbabwe reared livestock such as

Cattle
Goats
Sheep
Poultry
• livestock was used as:
• a status symbol,
• trade items,
• used for payment of tribute and bride price,
• draught power for instance pulling of sledges,
• source of meat, milk, manure,
• skins used as mats, blankets and clothing,
• Religious purposes.
• Mining was an important activity in the state economy.
• They mined minerals such as gold, iron ore, copper and soapstone
• Gold mining was controlled by the state for gold was a precious item of external trade.
• Iron ore was smelted in furnaces and shaped into various tools by blacksmiths.
• They made tools such as hoes, axes, arrows, spears, swords, knives and hammers.
• The tools were used in trade, agriculture, mining, hunting and defensive purposes.
• Copper was worked into various jewellery items such as bangles, and ceremonial
spears
• Trade was done internally and externally.
• Internally they practiced barter trade in grains, tools, game meat, and livestock.
• Externally, they traded with the Portuguese, Arabs, and Swahili traders.
• They traded in gold, ivory, special animal skins for cloth, spirits, guns and other
western items.
• Trade allowed them to get goods which they did not produce, promoted availability of
a variety of goods and specialization.

ACTIVITY
• How important was hunting and gathering in the Great Zimbabwe economy

MAGUTA TAFARA
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
The Economic Activities of Great Zimbabwe -11-

LEARNING AREA: HISTORY

TOPIC: Development of Zimbabwean Societies

SUB-TOPIC: State Formation: Great Zimbabwe

OBJECTIVES: 1.Describe the economic activities of Great Zimbabwe

INTRODUCTION
The economy of Great Zimbabwe was diversified. The people of Great Zimbabwe carried out
various economic activities such as hunting, gathering, pottery, tribute payment and craftwork
which hall be scrutinized below
• Gathering was done mostly by women.

• They gathered edible fruits, roots, caterpillars, bird’s eggs, and honey, mushrooms,
bulbs, berry to mention but a few.
 ACTIVITY
1. Name the above fruits and their value during this period.

• It was done to supplement their diet.

• Hunting was done by men

The methods used for hunting at Great Zimbabwe

• Snares
• Traps
• They would dig holes, covered them with grass and branches then animals would fall
in.
• Men used dogs, spears, clubs, bows and poisoned arrows.
• Through hunting they got meat, skins and ivory.
• Fishing was done mostly by men.
• They used baskets, hooks and harpooning methods to get fish.
• Fishing diversified their diet.
• Pottery was done mostly by women.
• They made various types of clay pots such as ones for cooking, storage, and fetching
water.
• Some clay pots were used for brewing beer, eating and drinking utensils.
 o ACTIVITY
o Visit a potter in your locality, if any and view various types of clay pots. Write
brief notes on the uses and significance of patterns on clay pots.
• Craftwork was done to produce utensils, tools and items of trade.
• Craft workers made items such as hoe handles, axe handles, pestle, stamps, gourds,
drums,
• Tribute payment was given to the king as a sign of respect and loyalty
• It was paid in form of tools, livestock, game meat, special animal skins, minerals,
grains and labor.

MAGUTA TAFARA
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The Social Organisation of Great Zimbabwe -12-

LEARNING AREA: HISTORY

TOPIC: Development of Zimbabwean Societies

SUB-TOPIC: State Formation: Great Zimbabwe

OBJECTIVES: 1.Describe the social organisation of Great Zimbabwe

INTRODUCTION
The people of Great Zimbabwe were highly religious, they believed in God whom they called
‘Musikavanhu’ which means ‘The Creator’. They worshiped their God through ancestral spirits.
• The people of Great Zimbabwe carried out ceremonies such as rain asking also known
as rain making, first fruit festival, thanks giving, hunting and appeasement of ancestral
spirits.
• When the first fruit festival took place the conical tower was given great respect and
reverence as it was seen as a symbol of achievement
• The ruling class was of the hungwe totem symbolized by stone sculptors of fish eagles.
• The fish eagles were associated with the veneration and appeasement of ancestral
spirits.
• There was exploitation of the ordinary people by the elite.
• Tribute was paid to the king as a sign of respect and loyalty.
• Bride price was paid in form of cattle, grains, iron made tools and labor.
• Cattle were highly regarded that they became a status symbol; hence they were not
killed at random.
• Indeed, the number of cattle one owned gave him a position in society.
• They were used for ritual purposes, killed during funeral and other special occasions.
• The royal family lived in the great enclosure also known as imbahuru which literally
mean the great houses
ACTIVITY
1. Search for an online documentary on the significance of Great Enclosure.

The purposes of the Great enclosure

• Provided privacy and shelter to the royal family
• The king’s first wife was housed in the great enclosure.
• Ordinary people lived in huts found in the valley enclosure.
• The ruling family wore special animal skins whilst ordinary people wore ordinary
animal skins
• the king lived in the hill complex and the spirit medium
• The spirit medium was responsible for installing the king.

Most of the rituals were carried out in the hill complex

ACTIVITY
2. Describe the social organisation of Great Zimbabwe.

MAGUTA TFARA
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The Political Organisation of Great Zimbabwe -13-

LEARNING AREA: HISTORY

TOPIC: Development of Zimbabwean Societies

SUB-TOPIC: State Formation: Great Zimbabwe

OBJECTIVES: 1.Describe the political organisation of Great Zimbabwe

INTRODUCTION
• Great Zimbabwe was built by the Shona people from around 1100 AD to around 1450
AD. It is surrounded by great controversy. Whites could not believe it was built by
Africans.
ACTIVITY
 Why was it built? What evidence is there which supports that it was built by the
Shona people?.

• The founder of the state was Chibatamatotsi

• The political organisation of the Great Zimbabwe was highly centralized.
• All powers were vested in the king’s hands
• The king was the chief judge
• He presided over serious crimes such as murder, arson and other important court cases
• The king was the chief priest who presided over religious ceremonies at state level.
• For instance, the asking for rains, appeasement of ancestral spirits and the first fruit
festival.
• He was also the army commander who could declare war or peace
• The rulers of Great Zimbabwe maintained a large army.
• It was this army which enabled the state to conquer large areas which paid tribute.
• He was the custodian of all land and wildlife.
• The king was assisted by an advisory council.
• The advisory council consisted of elderly people full of wisdom mostly those who had
shown high level of allegiance and loyalty to the king, king’s relatives and wives.
• The council advised the king on important matters related to the day today running of
the state and decision making processes.
• The spirit medium advised the king on religious matters.
• The king was assisted by vassal or sub chiefs to rule some parts of the kingdom on his
behalf.
• Vassal chiefs solved disputes at territorial level
• They allocated land to village heads on behalf of the king
• Sub-chiefs collected tribute from village heads and submit it to the king.
• They also presided over religious ceremonies at territorial level.
• Below the vassal chiefs were village heads.
• Village heads allocated land to new families on behalf of the king.
• They solved minor disputes at village level
• Village heads collected tribute from ordinary people.

Activity
1. Describe the political organisation of Great Zimbabwe.

MAGUTA TAFARA
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Factors Which Led to the Fall of Great Zimbabwe -14-

LEARNING AREA: HISTORY

TOPIC: Development of Zimbabwean Societies

SUB-TOPIC: State Formation: Great Zimbabwe

OBJECTIVES: 1.Describe the factors which led to the fall of Great Zimbabwe.

INTRODUCTION
The decline of Great Zimbabwe State was as a result of several factors. The factors that led to the
decline of Great Zimbabwe State can be classified into three that is economic factors, political
factors and social factors.
The economic factors which led to the fall of the state
• Decline in external trade
• Trade routes shifted to the Zambezi and the people at Great Zimbabwe were deprived of
important exotic items.
• Land degradation or loss soil value.

The above collage depicts the state of pastures at Great Zimbabwe plateau
• Exhaustion of soil led to the falling of agricultural yields.
• Many people starved because of food shortages hence others fled to areas where the land
was fertile.
• Droughts also led to deaths of many cattle which were a living bank of the Shona people
at Great Zimbabwe; hence they abandoned the state in search of greener pastures.
•

•
The above collage depicts pastures in the Zambezi plateau

• Indeed, the shortage of resources, such as salt, ivory, gold, pastures and firewood led to
the collapse of the state.
• Such lack led to the emigration of many people, including Nyatsimba Mutota, in search
of salt.
• This mass migration made Great Zimbabwe to lose its political influence leading to its
demise.

ACTIVITY
To what extent did the economic factors lead to the decline of Great Zimbabwe?

MAGUTA TAFARA
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License