WHI-Chap19-Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

A kingdom known as Zimbabwe, located between the Zambesi and Limpopo Rivers in the interior of southern Africa, emerged in the fifth and sixth centuries C.E. The word zimbabwe means “great stone house,” usually the dwelling of a chief. The existence of stone structures indicated a sophisticated society with the surplus of resources needed to undertake such a construction. In the early thirteenth century, a city called Great Zimbabwe became the capital of the kingdom. Great Zimbabwe was made chiefly of stone, with a population of 18,000 in its central and surrounding areas. Great Zimbabwe acted as a trade organizer, mediating the trade of gold, ivory, slaves, and local products between Swahili city states (mainly Sofala) and sources farther inland. They profited greatly by taxing and controlling trade, and their increasing influence spawned alliances with local leaders. Zimbabwe’s intermediary role between interior southern Africa and the Swahili east coast of Africa not only generated income for the kingdom but also stimulated relations between Africa and Indian Ocean trade networks. (T&E p. 494)

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