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
_North-east._—To the north-east, at a distance of eight miles and
cutting the sky-line, is the range of the Inyuni Hills. Their sides are
exceedingly steep and, being slate, their contours contrast pleasantly
with those of the kopjes of the granite formation. In the nearer
distance is Motuminshaba, a granite kopje four miles away, and farther
east Tchivi, another granite kopje three miles distant. The land
towards the east-north-east descends to the Motelekwe River, the valley
of which can be seen with Arowi, a huge, isolated granite kopje rising
twelve miles distant, on the far bank of the Motelekwe. In this area
kraals are numerous.
_East._—The Beroma Range (written by Bent as “Veroma”) fills in the
whole of the background towards the east. These hills, which run north
and south, appear to be fully four miles long. The most northerly
point of this range is formed by a large rounded granite kopje called
Sueba,[19] and between this hill and Chenga’s[20] kraal is the path
leading over the nek to the Mapaku Ruins (“Little Zimbabwe”) eight
miles distant. On the west side of Beroma is a line of lower hills
forming its shoulders. The southern end of the Beroma Range is formed
by the high rounded Mount Marsgi, with a series of cliffs on its west
side, and at its base M’Tijeni’s kraal. Marsgi overlooks the Schlichter
Gorge. This is the point from which our description started.
CHAPTER II
MYSTIC ZIMBABWE
Sunday Morning and Midnight in an Ancient Temple—Sunset on the
Acropolis.
Wandering about the Elliptical Temple at Zimbabwe on a Sunday morning
one is faced at every turn with texts for innumerable “sermons in
stones.” The hoary age of these massive walls is grandly and silently
eloquent of a dead religion—a religion which was but the blind
stretching forth of the hand of faith groping in the Dawn of Knowledge
for the Deity and seeking the Unknown. Lowell urges that none should
call any faith “vain” which in the evolution of religion has led
mankind up to a higher level. The builders were “Pagans.” Granted, but
the world four thousand years ago was in its infancy, and infancy is
but a necessary prelude to development in any department of life and
thought. The progressive stages of Old Testament faith demonstrate this
fact most patently. We of the Christian Era, with our two thousand
years of religious enlightenment, have yet to learn of the “many things
I have to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” The evolution of
the Christian Ideal has not yet reached its final stage—it has still to
be perfected. But the period of infancy in development should not be
too hastily condemned as “vain.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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