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Inside the Great Zimbabwe

An Article By Kaleb Dukes


Great Zimbabwe was known as one of the most dramatic architectural landscapes in sub-Saharan Africa. Great Zimbabwe was about the size of Montana. It mostly had a plateau for its general terrain. It is said to be one of the largest stone-built complexes in the world, before the modern period. It was located near lake Mutirikwi and the town of Masvingo. It stood tall from the 11th century to the 15th century. It was one of the most complex societies of early civilizations.



Great Zimbabwe had a great economy. It had a lot of sources of income. The economy was based on cattle husbandry, crops, cultivation, and trade of gold on the coast of the Indian ocean. Great Zimbabwe was a country that thrived in trading while it was standing. Its agriculture was a huge part of economic progress. The agriculture consisted of corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, etc. They also had numerous natural resources. The natural resources consist of coal, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, etc. Their currency was the Zimbabwean dollar. Also known as the ZWD. Their national GDP was $6,474,000,000.



The stone buildings were built about 900 years ago. The name zimbabwe is a shona term that means stone building. Zimbabwe is known for its stone buildings and architecture. They also used stone walls for separations. Great Zimbabwe was known as the stone kingdom.



Great Zimbabwe has many artifacts. Their most famous artifact is the eight birds. They were carved out of soapstone. They measured 13 inches in height. Six of the eight birds were found in a place archaeologists call Eastern Enclosure. The Eastern Enclosure is located on a hill. Numerous artifacts have been found through long distance trade. Things like the Arab coin from the 14th century and Persian pottery from the 13th century.Two has only been excavated so imagine how many artifacts will be found.



In conclusion, Great Zimbabwe is an interesting country in the modern period. Their stone buildings were spectacular. That's why they were known as the stone kingdom. Their long-distance tradings and good economies were major factors in the progression and success of them. Not even a quarter of it being excavate future exploring will hopefully improve the legacy and the history of Great Zimbabwe.



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5 Comments


tayloramber1203
tayloramber1203
Oct 28, 2019

I enjoyed reading your article. It holds the reader's attention, and wonder more. I also like how your pictures are next to your topics. It helps tell what you are talking about.

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Reed Durbin
Reed Durbin
Oct 28, 2019

Sorry, where are your sources?! This really shouldn't have been published without them.

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Reed Durbin
Reed Durbin
Oct 28, 2019

Nice work, overall. You did get confused and added some information from modern Zimbabwe. I agree with others that it is a bit short given the time you had. Still, the article looks good and is clear and to the point.

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Mia Grandstaff
Oct 25, 2019

i loved the images you used, as well as the topic. i found your article very interesting to read although it could use more length but other than that good job

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Jordan Maragh
Jordan Maragh
Oct 25, 2019

I like the above average amount of images in the article, and I like the topic, as I never heard of it before. I think that the article could have better transitions between paragraphs, as well as a longer length.

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