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)
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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
(_f_) The walls of the ascents to the Acropolis as originally built
would have precluded any outsider from seeing, even if standing on
an adjoining kopje, the movements of people passing up and down the
ascents; and to-day as a native ascends these passages it is almost
impossible to see him till he reaches the summit, except as he is
passing gaps or walls which have become considerably dilapidated. Some
of the outer walls of these ascents are still 10 ft. in height.
(_g_) The Elliptical Temple and the Western Temple on the Acropolis
have each long and narrow and deep parallel passages on the inside of
their main walls, and it is possible that the Pattern Passage served
for a similar purpose at the Eastern Temple. The Parallel Passage in
the Elliptical Temple communicated only between the North Entrance and
the Sacred Enclosure where are the conical towers, and this passage has
no communication with any other portion of the interior of the temple.
Several of the known writers on these ruins, including Bent, have
conjectured that these parallel passages in the temples were reserved
for the use of the priests.
(_h_) Cliffs and large boulders have been frequently utilised to form
lengths of passages. Instances of this practice are to be seen on
the Acropolis in the Rock Passage of the South-East Ancient Ascent,
Buttress Passage, North Passage, and elsewhere. In some instances the
walls are made to go out of their line so as to include neighbouring
boulders, the sole object, so it would appear, being to deprive any
invading force of the vantage offered by the height of the boulders for
an attack to be made on the passage.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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