• Mapungubwe was abandoned around 1300

• Archeologists do not know why.

• Great Zimbabwe developed further up North

• ​Present day Zimbabwe is named after this African trading state

• As with Mapungubwe - the King, his family and advisors had most of the power​

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Great Zimbabwe

1280 - 1450​

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• The stone walls called enclosures because they housed important people.

• ​Many stone walls are still standing today but most of the town is in ruins

• ​Archeologists found important evidence about how they lived:

  • First enclosures were built on a hill​

  • The king lived on top of the hill, seperate from ordinary people

  • Large huts were built on hill slopes

  • In the valley below small huts were built closer together

  • The people of Great Zimbabwe were traders

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​The people of Great Zimbabwe traded gold, iron and ivory.

They traded for items like cloth, glass and glazed pottery

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They traded with Arab traders on the East Coast of Africa

• 8 bird statues were found at Great Zimbabwe

• The people believed:

  • Birds carried messages to and from ancestors

  • Leaders were believed to be like crocodiles.

    • They did not fear enemies

    • The lived many years​

    • Communicated with ancestors

Bird statues & beliefs