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
_Soapstone monoliths and beams._—Monoliths of soapstone have only been
found in the three temples, but in greater profusion in the Eastern
Temple on the Acropolis, and at Philips Ruins. Here they were found by
their sections to have been of various diameters, but every one had
been shaped with tools, some being artistically, others only crudely,
decorated, but the majority were plain. Chevron pattern was evidently
the favourite design employed. The Makalanga are believed to have
used some of the broken sections of soapstone monoliths and beams for
carving their _I-daha_ pipe-bowls, in making which they are known to
have excelled. This would save them the necessity of transporting the
material to Zimbabwe from the soapstone formation, the nearest point of
which is twelve miles in a north-western direction. Natives to-day have
been seen taking away very small splinters of soapstone found in the
débris heaps. These they cut with a knife into any crude shape that may
be suggested to their passing fancy. The number of bases of soapstone
monoliths is far greater than the number of splintered or broken
sections found in the wall-débris heaps along the foot of the walls.
Several sections of rounded soapstone beams were also found among the
blocks on the summit of the main wall of the Elliptical Temple, and
other sections were also discovered here in the débris at the foot
of either side of the main wall. These sections, though plain, are
beautifully finished, but being the lower portions above the bases, are
without pattern. Probably the higher portions were decorated, as the
decoration in several instances of soapstone beams discovered does not
extend low down on the monoliths. The radii of the sections found in
the Elliptical Temple varied considerably, while some had flat-worked
faces with narrow ends artificially rounded.
The discovery in all three temples of so many bases and sections of
different sized soapstone monoliths suggests the question: Have the
present standing slate and granite monoliths been, at any rate in some
instances, erected at a later period to replace fallen or fractured
soapstone monoliths?
(_a_) Splinters of undoubted soapstone monoliths, some carved with
geometrical patterns, have been found in large quantities in the lowest
strata of wall-débris at each of the three temples only; sometimes they
were found on the formation rock and below the wall débris, but at
the foot of all the faces of the walls on the summits of which are at
present only slate and unhewn granite are monoliths still more or less
complete and erect.
(_b_) On the summits of walls on which are slate and granite monoliths
numerous small fragments of rounded lengths of soapstone, identical
with soapstone beams and some similarly carved, have been found. These
instances were frequently noticed in all the temples, May-November,
1902, but especially in the Elliptical Temple, where are now only
granite and slate monoliths.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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