Offering a unique and original perspective on the rise and fall of indigenous states of southern Zambezia, The Zimbabwe Culture analyzes the long contentious history of the remains of the remarkable cyclopean masonry, ranging from mighty capitals of traditional kings to humble farmsteads. Forming a cornerstone of the geographical lore of Africa in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, debate on the origins, development, and collapse of the Zimbabwe culture has never ceased, and with increasing archaeological research over the twentieth century, has become more complex. Thoroughly examining the growth and decline of pre-colonial states on the entire Zimbabwean Plateau and southern Zambezia, Dr. Pikirayi has contributed tremendously towards the archaeological understanding of this extraordinary culture. The Zimbabwe Culture is essential reading for all students and avocationalists of African archaeology, history, and culture.
| List of Figures | ||
| Foreword: "Ruins in a Wild Land" | ||
| Preface | ||
| Acknowledgments | ||
| 1 | Background to the Study of Precolonial Southern Zambezia | 1 |
| 2 | The Landscapes of Southern Zambezia | 37 |
| 3 | The Pioneers: Early Herdsmen and Village Farmers | 73 |
| 4 | Cattle, Ivory and Gold; Traders, Chiefs, and Kings: Political Centralization in the Shashe-Limpopo Basin, 950-1280 | 97 |
| 5 | Cattle, Gold, and Copper; Traders, Chiefs, and Kings: The Rise, Development, and Fall of Great Zimbabwe, 1290-1450 | 123 |
| 6 | Kings, Conquistadores, and Rebels: The Mutapa State and the Portuguese, 1450-1900 | 157 |
| 7 | Cattle Barons and Generals of the Southwest: The Torwa and Rozvi-Changamire States, c. 1450-1860 | 197 |
| 8 | Merchant Capital, Karanga Migrations, and the Arrival of the Nguni and the British | 221 |
| 9 | Conclusions: The Place of the Zimbabwe Plateau in Zambezia | 245 |
| Bibliography | 269 | |
| Author Index | 287 | |
| Subject Index | 291 | |
| About the Author | 305 |
Overview
Offering a unique and original perspective on the rise and fall of indigenous states of southern Zambezia, The Zimbabwe Culture analyzes the long contentious history of the remains of the remarkable cyclopean masonry, ranging from mighty capitals of traditional kings to humble farmsteads. Forming a cornerstone of the geographical lore of Africa in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, debate on the origins, development, and collapse of the Zimbabwe culture has never ceased, and with increasing archaeological ...