The great Zimbabwe is referred to as the “House of Rock”. Although this is not a perfect illustration of a modern African nation, the phrase is an excellent description of the renowned ancient city known as the Great Zimbabwe. Surrounding the city are the sixty acres stone ruins which tell a story of those who discovered and resided in the area nine hundred years ago. This essay talks about the ancient history of Zimbabwe.
The rulers of the Great Zimbabwe brought stone masonry and other artistic traditions from Mapungubwe Kingdom. This kingdom is significant in the history of the ancient Zimbabwe since it is believed that most rulers in this area originated from Mapungubwe in the early thirteenth century. The leaders of Zimbabwe established their rule over wider areas such as Butua, Mutapa and Mapungubwe.
One of the greatest leaders of this kingdom was Nyatsimba Mutota. Around 1430, he travelled to the north of the region in search of salt. When the ancient Zimbabwe began its military and economic decline, some of the elite’s of the city migrated two hundred miles to the north to Zambezi River. As a result of their settlement, the Shona state of Monomotapa, commonly known Mutapa was established but it was short-lived. The ruler of this state was Mutota who was their first king. He gained control of the producing sites and a great portion of Zambezi Valley. He also established a capital at Zvongombe which is situated near Zambezi River (Mlambo, 2014).
At the height of power, Mwene Matope, son of Mutota included Zambezi River Valley to the Indian Ocean. Mwenemutapa was Matope’s title that literally means the “Lord of plundered land”. He wore a costume which included a small hoe that was well decorated and formed part of his belt. With its ivory handle, the hoe was a representation of peace. Other symbols of the kingships included animal horns, granaries and spears. The kingdom relied on the divine leadership principle. Subjects of the monarchy believed their leader was god of the moon and sun, king of rivers and of the land, and a great conqueror of their enemies.
By 1590s, Monomutapa had started a political, cultural and military decline that was intensified by the increase in civil wars. The divided central government allowed the governors to gain more power. Political leaders from one province (Changamire) broke free and started building a successor. Moreover, the Portuguese colony gained more power along the coast. In 1630s, the Portuguese outran Monomutapa and chose a new ruler, Mhande Felipe. In 1917, the last leader, Mambo Chioko, was murdered in a war against Portuguese.
Zimbabwe declined around 1450AD for reasons that are not yet known. However, it is believed that the creation of the northern kingdom and other states are some of the main reasons for this. There has been a lot of speculation about the decline as the theories of its fall range from depletion of land resources, over-farming, a drop in the lucrative gold trade and drastic weather change. There has not been much advancement in terms of technology and agriculture since then, but measures have been put to help in promoting agricultural practices and to encourage the use of modern technology to improve the standards of living (Ranger & Peel, 1983).
In my opinion, there is no sufficient information regarding the ancient Zimbabwe. This is because; prehistoric events are best explained by use of physical evidence like the items used during such times. Most of the evidence regarding the history of the kingdoms and states is obtained from archeological artifacts and items available on site such as the daga homes, trading items and granite walls. However, the oral history of the people speaking the Shona language is a significant source of information on ancient Zimbabwe.
References
Mlambo, A. (2014). A History of Zimbabwe. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.
Ranger, T., & Peel, J. Y. (1983). Past and Present in Zimbabwe. Manchester: Manchester University Press.