history

1. The above mentionedstatementof geographical setupof great Zimbabwe monumentstellsmore
abouttheirinhabitants,economically throughhunting,livestock rearing,theirpolitical systemthe
kingwas the headand state of people, he livedinthe acropolis. Theirreligioussystemwasmerely
centredontheirsacredbird calledhungwe inthe venecuelawhichtheybelieved in;theyworship
theirgodin easternenclosure itwascreatedforreligiouspurposes only.
The great Zimbabwe people were accorded accordingly in their statuspoliticallyespeciallythe
rulingclassincludingthe kinghimself.There wasaplace a marketreservedforthe economic
activitiesparticularlytrade ,thistrade were practicedbotheternalandexternal trade ,theygot
beadsceramics whichtheyuseditfor decoratingthe king’scourtand theyusedthese jewelleriesto
beautifythe queens,thiswasexternal trade withthe Indians ,butinternal trade theypracticedthe
activitythroughtravelling.
The structures also evidencedthat the people of great Zimbabwe they also practiced hunting and
gathering as it was evidenced through their rock paintings, the rock paintings which were found by
archaeologist the likesof Thomashuffman .These peopletheypracticedhuntingandthe animal skins
theyusedthem to decorate in the king’scourt fierce animalslike lionandleopardstomake the king
more powerful

2. The greatZimbabwe monumentsalsoshowsthatthe greatZimbabwepeopletheyalsorearedanimals
domesticanimalssuchascattle sheepandgoats fordietarypurposesfortheirfamilies.The structure
can also shows that the people of great Zimbabwe were economically active in their daily livesthey
practiced the black smiths iron smelting as evidenced by bows and arrows the used in their hunting
activities .Thesepeople were permanentlysettledwiththeirbasicshelters sotheymeltirontomake
weapons to fight their enemies .
The political system of the great Zimbabwe was largely centred by the king who was the head and
state of the great Zimbabwe state, the king was one who lived on top of everyone in the structure
calledacropolis.The kingwas the religiousleaderwhoalsohas the hand,powerand ability of trying
cases in the court of law .The acropolis was merely build to only accommodate the king himself and
other important rulers in the state. The king resident shows that he was one who was on top of
everyone in state.
The structure wasbuilttoforvariouspurposeswhichincludeamongotherssuchtoaccommodate the
rulers,defensive purposesagainstthe attackers,thissymbolises powerof the king .The kingreceived
the tribute from the his vassals as sign of respect and loyalty to him this has made great Zimbabwe
state .People paid their tribute in form of crops ,tools among others to mention a few payment of
tribute shows that people were loyalty to him and it was regarded as both economic and political
activitysince the it wascontributingtothe wealthyof the state .There was alsoalso great enclosure

3. wasconstructedtoaccommodate the queensof the king.Thiswassaidtobe the residentof the king’s
wives he could visit his wives in the great enclosure.
This(imbahururu) thingwasthere to show respectforthe kingwithhiswivestoshow how much he
cares forhiswives.The structure wasmeantforroyal purpose onlynotanyone else besidesthe royal
family .Itwassaidthatthe the monumenthasamale hoodsculpture toshowthatitwas amatrimonial
house of the king a his queens.
There is also the issue of zig zag structure meaning to symbolise the rainfall, and the snake was
portrayed to show fertility by this one can agree that the people of great Zimbabwe were practising
agriculture because theypotrayedthe zigzagto show thatthere were farmers.Theygrew cropssuch
as sorghum, millet and rapoko all these they supplement their diet with their families.
People of great Zimbabwe the believed in Mwari through the sacred bird called hungwe in
venecuela.Thesoapstone bird itwasbelievedtobe sacred,theyworshiptheirgodthroughthesacred
birdhungwe .theyworshipedinthe easternenclosureitwasbelievedtobe a sunsetanddeathand it
was a sacred areasaid to be a no go area since itwas a sacred place ,the great Zimbabwe state wasa
strongholdof religiousbeliefs,theeasternenclosureitwasalsobuildreligiouspurposessuchasrituals
and rain making processes .

4. A numberof schoolsraisedcriticsover Thomas‘s Huffmanbiasedinformationsaidtobe mythical
since he was saidthat he had neverbeenhistorianintellentual like schoolarssuchasBeach among
others.Huffmanwascriticisedoverhisissue of greatsince he wastrainedtobe archaeolgist.These
people theyarguedthathuffmanhadproducedshallowinformationoverthe originsandgrowthof
great zimbabwe
Thomashuffmanhadfailedtounderstandthe portuguese documentsinsuchawaythat other
schoolarshave arguedoverhisanalysisovergreatzimbabwe state .They arguedthatthe gentlemen
had neverbeenahistorianhe wastrainedtodigto interogate historythrougharchaelogy.Inthe
wayhe made variousmistakes.Sincehe wasa nothistorianhe made mythical exaggerationsevents
behindthe cronology,inhisinterogationshe usedmodelsof recentresearchfindingsfromthe
middle limpopo whichhadtobe believedtobe have causedcontradictionsof information.
He alsousesseventeethcenturypolitical succesesioninthe chiteve dynastytoargue that thiswas
the prevailingpattern some twotothree centuriesearlieratgreat zimbabwe andthat,byextension
the hill complex wasthe only palaceatthe site .Thisgentlemen hisoprationoverthe issueof
politcal .The gentlemen clamedthatthe lowervalley.

5. Furthermore a numberof criticshave beenraisedover Thomashuuffman,didnothave aknowhow
of oral traditionsand writtenrecordsinsucha way he made exaggerationalong the way whichhe
had beencriticedbyvariousschoolars .
Beach wasnot an archaeologist andhe neverpretendetobe one ,he made a significant
contributiontowardsthe understandingof archeologyespeciallyof the lasttwomillennia.His
historical approachesovergreatzimbabwe containeddetailedandcritical analysisof historical
sourcesclearlysignifiedthe value multidisciplinaryapproach.

6. HUFFMAN .T.N.and .JC.VOGEL 1991 THE CHRONOLOGY OF GREAT ZIMBABWE
GARLAKE ,P.S.1973.GREAT ZIMBABWE .LONDON.;THAMES and HUDSON
ANDERSON ,M.2009.MAROTHODI HISTORY