Great Zimbabwe Empire (1100-1450)

Government B- (Brianna)

The empire of Great Zimbabwe was one of the most powerful, and elite empires on Africa at the time. According to history one of the major variables that plays into to becoming an empire as it did you need a strong centralized government. Great Zimbabwe’s government was organized behind a central ruler (King) and the other political leaders such as chieftains.

The government had good qualities but it was determined that it deserved a B- when graded. This is because when compared to different empires around the world Zimbabwe fell short of providing individual rights. Zimbabwe had a well organized government but they lacked in giving the lower class a good chance of moving up in society for a better opportunities. In the past that is a key part into making a stable empire. Therefore government earned a B-.

 

African Chieftain 

Society C-(Brianna)

Zimbabwe had well established society classes which were way different from one another. This is why the two main classes were slaves and their masters (wealthier). When it came to society Zimbabwe fell short in providing multiple things. The first issue was little to no opportunity was given to the lower class or any class of that matter to move “up” from their level. Historians believe that Zimbabwe was more focused on keeping the classes as separated as possible. In the picture below is some stone architecture from the ruins of the Great Zimbabwe Empire. The buildings were made of stone which at the time was very laborious to do.  Out of the two classes provided it’s concluded that the class which constructed these buildings was the slaves. So the slaves were used by doing laborious work. 

The subject of society is ranked a C- because the multiple issues it had were more apparent than the one positive variable.

 

Slaves/Lowerclass

Religion B+ (Nate Seese)
The Great Zimbabwe people followed a Super -natural spirt religion. Where they would pray to there ansestors. They believe anything in nature had a soul and you could communticate with it. They believed it also had many powers in there lives. Not much is known about The Great Zimbabwe empire. I gave The Great Zimbabwe a B+ because it brought there people togeather by doing rituas togeather. Also it helped them cope with difficulties such as                      the sleeping disese.                                                              
                                                             (Africans dancing to keep ancestry tradition going)

Economy B+ (Tyler D)

Great Zimbabwe was a fairly successful empire in their economy. They were highly based off of trade and made little of their own products. They consisted of herders who herded livestock for the food and other necessities they needed to live. The Great Zimbabwe was able to extract a high amount of gold from their land in the time they were around. It is estimated that they extracted about 20 million ounces of gold from the land. 

Their trade was very advanced. They were a trading "capital" in a way. The trade they did stretched from Kilua to China(see map on right) with many places in between. They traveled very far from their homeland and had many people come from afar.

Great Zimbabwe welcomed few people into their empire. They were very self centered and kept to themselves. Other than the large trade they controlled. Zimbabwe was hard to move up in such as getting from slave to merchant was practicaly impossible.

I feel that the economy of the Great Zimbabwe deserved a B+ for a few reasons. They may not have produced many items but they were the center of trade. They promoted and encouraged trade and participated in it greatly. With the gold and iron they traded they became a large part of the trade and its system.

(Both trade routes Africa used)

Zimbabwe Soap statues

Zimbabwe's Architecture

Art and Architecture-Grade: B-  (Allyson)
            The citizens of the Great Zimbabwe Empire did not create a lot of art in their reign, but their architecture was quite impressive for their day in age. There is much speculation as to who built the ruins at Great Zimbabwe. One source says the ruins are Queen Sheba's of the Ancient Phoenicians, another the Arabs, Romans or even the Hebrews. The most probable theory, though, is that the ruins were made by local Shona-speaking farmers who relocated their settlement to the higher elevation to avoid the tsetse flies that were killing their people and cattle.
            While there is no concrete evidence as to who built the famous Great Zimbabwe ruins in the lower portion of present day Zimbabwe for certain, there is no question that the ruins are magnificent. Built in 1100, the ruins stretch approximately 1,800 acres (a 100-200 mile radius), and have an area span of 1,784 acres. It is said to be one of the largest cities of its time. The large ruins are classified into 3 architectural groups: the Hill Complex, the Valley Complex, and the Great Enclosure. The Great Enclosure is the most significant of the 3. It has walls as tall as 36 feet and expands nearly 820 feet. This makes it the largest ancient structure located South of the Sahara, a great accomplishment.
            The hands-down, most impressive parts of these ruins are the walls. The walls are made with large granite slabs cut from the rocks in the hills in the area. They are amazing because they have nothing holding them together, no mortar. They are packed tightly together and have been standing for thousands of years. Whoever created them must have been very skilled at building to create a structure that could stay standing that long.
            Aside from architecture, the founders of the Great Zimbabwe also created a little bit of art. Pottery shards, elaborately worked ivory pieces, and gold beads, bracelets, and pendants were found in the ruins. The most well known art located there, however, are the 8 soapstone birds. They are noted as possible emblems of royal authority or ancestors of the people residing there. They are each elaborately carved and have human body parts substituting for bird parts, a very interesting idea to have come up with. (to read more about the birds look for the post located on my blog called "Zimbabwe Bird Sculptures.") Besides from the birds, no famous or speak-able art comes from the Great Zimbabwe. I would say from this information, the architecture was very creative. It was created without mortar, in a circular formation, and  covered a large span of land . The structures made also emphasized human advancement because of how long they have been standing. If a structure is built without mortar and stands for over 2,000 years, it is clear that it was built with much precaution and skill. The Great Zimbabwe art, however, was fairly creative, but not exemplary. They created 8 very unique soapstone birds, but really nothing else. The art did emphasize human advancment in a sense because of the skill it must have taken to carve the eight birds. Overall, there art was mediocre and not super impressive. 
            I rated the Great Zimbabwe's art and architecture a B-, because while their architecture is very impressive, very minimal art comes from the empire, excepting the birds.



Technology-Grade: B (Allyson)
            
            The citizens of the Great Zimbabwe Empire created a notable amount of useful technology during their empire's reign. Many examples of this result in the artifacts found at the site of the ruins. People have found axes, adzes, hoes, gold-working equipment, and copper wire in the ruins over many years. The Great Zimbabwe existed during the late Iron Age in Africa. They made many iron tools such as iron arrowheads, chisels, knives, spearheads, and hoes. Spindle whorls were also found in the site. This could possibly indicate that cotton spinning and weaving took place during the Great Zimbabwe. The people of the Great Zimbabwe were not warriors. The Great Zimbabwe was a center for trading. Their trade routes possibly extended from as far as Kilwa to China. It is estimated that around 20 million ounces of gold was traded from the Great Zimbabwe. The Great Zimbabwe probably used their technology to trade for better resources from other empires around the world. While they made very efficient iron weapons and tools, they did not use them in war-like circumstances, they were a peaceful people. They did, however, use tools to cut stone from the surrounding hills for their soapstone birds and the creation of their building structures.  They show some good advancements for their civilization with all the iron tools they created, and all the useful pieces of technology found throughout their ruins such as spindle whorls, axes, and hoes. 
I rated the Great Zimbabwe's technology a B because they developed innovations in many different categories. They used their tools to better their nation AND other nations. There is not much evidence as to how much they used the tools, however, and it cannot be proven that all the artifacts found were there own.

Overall Grade For The Great Zimbabwe Empire

The overall grade of The Great Zimbabwe Empire is a B-. The Great Zimbabwe is fantastic in trade and technology, and there religion is great. They had tones of gold which made them able to trade with anybody pretty much. Technology was great because they had steel tools and were very advanced. They had a great religion where they worshiped spirits and it brought them togeather. But there were some reason why this empire was bad, including there government and there socity. There government was more rich people running it all. The socity was really hard to move up in and make a name for your self.