Africa: Great Zimbabwe
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| Aerial view of Great Zimbabwe’s Great Enclosure and adjacent ruins, looking southeast (photo: Janice Bell, CC BY-SA 4.0) |
Great Zimbabwe is unlike any typical artwork, like a painting. Instead, Great Zimbabwe is a great landscape that consists of a large stone complex and is located south of Zimbabwe's capital, Harare. Great Zimbabwe was occupied by the Shona people, which is the largest ethnic group in Zimbabwe. About 20,000 people lived in the 250 royal houses that were within the structure. It is evident that the Shona's economy was dependent on livestock. In this city, iron, copper, and jewelry have been discovered all around. The word Zimbabwe stands for "judicial center" or "ruler's court of house". However, I do not think Zimbabwe, Africa relates to the judicial centers that we are familiar with today. Over the years, a few individual houses have survived over time. These houses have been decorated with pot stands, elevations for sleeping/eating, and hearths.
All the walls of Great Zimbabwe were made with granite. In addition to granite, these walls were interrupted by gaps and arches. These openings within in the wall suggest that this structure was not built for protection. Instead, this structure expresses the power of the leaders of Great Zimbabwe because they did not fear intruders.
The structure of Great Zimbabwe is categorized into three parts: the Hill Ruin, the Great Enclosure, and the Valley Ruins. The Hill Ruin was inhabited by a cave that was home to the ruler and his immediate family. The Great Enclosure was believed to be a place for religious and administrative activities. The last section, the Valley Ruins served as a place for trade. In fact, materials from China, southeast Asia, and central Africa have been recovered in this trading hub.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post, Great Zimbabwe is unique to other artworks that we are familiar with. We often associate the word art with paintings on a canvas or even sculptures. Even though Great Zimbabwe was considered home to many people, it can also be considered art. Great Zimbabwe is an important reminder that art is everywhere. It is within the walls we walk and I think that this is something to be more mindful and appreciative of.
Demerdash, Dr. Nancy, and Dr. Nancy Demerdash. “Great Zimbabwe,” 2020. https://smarthistory.org/great-zimbabwe/.
Hello Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI saw that you commented on mine and how you mentioned that you did your post on the same thing as me. I really like some of the statistical information you have provided above in your post. I also liked how you described the material that was used on the different walls. I totally agree with your statement from my post in regard to if the people lived here or not and where did they go. Do you think they ever had to use the turrets that they created turret holes for?
Good job on this post! I also wrote about Great Zimbabwe and found it to be extremely interesting as well! I really enjoyed how you ended by saying Great Zimbabwe can still be considered and art and how we can find art anywhere.
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