Great Zimbabwe, Mashonaland, Rhodesia: An account of two years' examination work in 1902-4 on behalf of the government of RhodesiaHall, R. N. (Richard Nicklin)
History
Great Zimbabwe, Mashonaland, Rhodesia: An account of two years' examination work in 1902-4 on behalf of the government of Rhodesia
Hall, R. N. (Richard Nicklin)
Great Zimbabwe (Extinct city); Zimbabwe -- Antiquities
A remarkable discovery was made here of distinct traces of granite
cement dadoes, 7 ft. high, round the interior faces of the walls of
this enclosure. In some other enclosures the remains of dadoes can
still be seen.
The small conical tower in this enclosure has during the last ten years
been seriously damaged by the large trunk of a tree pushing over the
summit of the cone. Photographs of this small tower taken in 1891 show
that it was then almost intact.
PLATFORM AREA
This open area, lying to the west and north of the Conical Tower and
the Platform, corresponds to the open areas immediately in front of
the altars in old Grecian temples. This was Mr. Bent’s opinion, and
possibly it answered at Zimbabwe a similar purpose of accommodating the
worshippers. The area, some 120 ft. by 60 ft., has been cleared out of
large trees, and of about 6 ft. of soil throughout, and floors—both
cement and clay—were disclosed, also a fine circular structure of
excellent granite cement, and ascended by two steps. On and close to
this structure were found fragments, mainly bases, of carved soapstone
beams of slender appearance, also some phalli and gold. This platform
lies slightly off the north line between the Conical Tower and the Main
North Entrance.
Some of the walls surrounding this area on the west and north sides,
once considered to be ancient, can now be seen to cross over very old
native clay huts and native copper and iron-smelting furnaces. The
soil contained some phalli, which had been converted by the natives
into amulets, also some Arabian glass—thirteenth and fourteenth
centuries—Venetian beads, gold wire-work, beaten gold, gold scorifiers
of native pottery, iron pincers, and fragments of carved soapstone
bowls with geometric designs.
ENCLOSURES 6, 7, AND 10
Gold-smelting operations must have, at some late period, been
extensively carried on in these enclosures, for on removing from each
enclosure all débris and fallen stones to a depth of from 4 ft. to 7
ft., there were found burnishing stones of fine grain and still covered
with gold, gold scorifiers with gold in the flux, cakes of gold, gold
furnace slag, beaten gold, and gold dust.
At a still lower depth in No. 6 Enclosure a quantity of granite
clay crucibles, showing gold richly, were met with, and these are
undoubtedly of older type than the native pottery scorifiers, also some
ingot moulds of soapstone of the double claw-hammer or St. Andrew’s
cross pattern.
CENTRAL AREA
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