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
The small _gold crucibles_ of granite clay similar to those described
on page 221 of Mr. Bent’s work, and found on the lowest floors and in
rock holes and fissures used for depositing débris, where they must
have been thrown away as rubbish after the small cakes of gold had been
removed, although they still contained in the flux large beady pieces
of gold. A large number of these have been found in positions where the
Kafir clay scorifiers are not met with. It would be well in considering
the “finds” of crucibles not to treat them with the pottery gold
scorifiers, for, so far as discoveries lead, they undoubtedly appear to
belong to entirely different ages.
Several sizes of _gold beads_ have been found. There is no doubt that
some places in certain enclosures of the older ruins will yield a fair
quantity when the soil on the lower floors is systematically treated.
Several beads are perfectly round, others are round but with flat ends,
others again show two facets encircling them and meeting at the widest
point.
_Beaten gold_ to the amount of about 6 ozs. was found on the lower
floors. This was discovered in the form of plates usually about 1½
in. to 2 in. by 1 in., each plate having small holes round the edges,
in many of which holes the gold tacks still remained. One piece was
wider at one end than at the other, and this is believed to have been a
sheathing encircling a section of a piece of ebony found with it, the
ebony stick being thick at the top and tapered towards the end. There
were remains of embossed designs on two pieces of beaten gold, one of
diamond pattern and the other a plain circle with curved radiating
marks.
_Gold tacks_ were most usually found with the beaten gold. These are of
microscopic size. The majority have wedged-shaped heads, and the others
flattened heads. It is believed that these tacks served to fasten the
gold sheathing on to wooden articles used by the ancients.
_Bar-gold_ and _gold-cake_ were found on the lowest floors in the
Elliptical Temple and North-East Passage respectively. _Gold dust_ is
found in certain enclosures only, but on the lowest floors. Over two
hundred pannings of the soil in various enclosures have been made. The
soil of some enclosures is absolutely destitute of any trace of gold,
so also is the veld soil brought into the ruins by native people over
one hundred and fifty years ago. In some places outside the ruins
pannings show gold, and pieces of beaten gold and gold wire have been
found in such places.
One complete _gold bangle_ of twisted wire, most artistically wrought
and weighing 2½ ozs., was found on the bed-rock in an enclosure on the
Acropolis Hill. Another complete gold bangle was found on the lowest
floor of No. 15 Enclosure of the Elliptical Temple. Short pieces of
twisted gold wire of various gauges have been found at several ruins.
Most of such pieces are parts of broken bangles.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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