The ruined cities of Mashonaland: Being a record of excavation and exploration in 1891Bent, J. Theodore (James Theodore)
History
The ruined cities of Mashonaland: Being a record of excavation and exploration in 1891
Bent, J. Theodore (James Theodore)
Extinct cities -- Zimbabwe -- Mashonaland; Great Zimbabwe (Extinct city)
At the temple at the east end of the fortress on the hill similar means
are provided for observing the summer solstice. Only a small part of
the decorated wall remains, the middle part, which was of great height,
having fallen, so that we do not know how far the decoration may have
extended towards the south. On the other side it terminates at the
doorway, which is placed close to the high cliff which forms the
northern side of the temple. We discovered the altar, with several
phalli and many little terracotta images of the solar disc lying near
it, and some among the stones of the altar. This altar is not at the
centre of the arc, but is placed ten feet nearer the rising sun at the
solstice, and its position seems to be due to the position of the break
in the cliff, which is true north of the altar, so that the meridian
can be observed through this passage from the altar in its actual
position, and it could not have been observed from the altar were it
placed at the centre of the arc. It was impossible to describe the arc
with the altar as its centre owing to the position of some rocks which
would have interfered with the building of the wall. At the summer
solstice the sun rises here on a level horizon and bears East 25°
South, and a line drawn from the altar in this direction passes through
the pattern, and continued for ten feet in the opposite direction it
would fall on the centre of the arc.
The great curved wall at the western end of the fortress, which is
surmounted by little round towers and erect monoliths, faces the
setting sun at the winter solstice. If we suppose the altar was placed
here, we have on an eminence marked A, fifty feet true north of the
altar, a tall monolith which would enable the meridian transits of
northern stars to be observed from the altar, and a line drawn from
this altar towards the setting sun at the winter solstice would seem to
have passed through the middle of the line of towers and monoliths.
This great wall is not so well built as the walls at the eastern
temple, and it seems probable that it is a restoration of an old wall
which was originally parallel to this, and whose foundations we
discovered as already mentioned. Possibly on the original wall the
round towers and monoliths were aligned between the altar and the
setting sun at certain definite periods of the year. At present they do
not seem to mark any important periods, but the position of the setting
sun at the summer solstice is well marked by a round tower on the wall
overhanging the high cliff, and this is undoubtedly a wall of the best
period.
At this western end of the fortress we have two instances of parts of
walls which faced the setting sun at the winter solstice being
decorated by a dentelle pattern.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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