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Africa to the 1400s

End of the Kingdom The stone walls of Great Zimbabwe were a symbol of power and wealth that also gave people privacy. However, in the mid-1400s, Great Zimbabwe was suddenly burned down and abandoned. No one knows why this was done. But the stone walls were so well built that they still survive today as a reminder of the ancient power of Great Zimbabwe.

People of the Valley About ten thousand people lived outside the stone walls of Great Zimbabwe and they all had different jobs. Some were herders who moved their cattle from one grazing ground to another. Others were craftworkers who made jewelry out of gold and copper. Sculptors carved in wood and stone, and locally grown cotton enabled weavers to make fine cloth. But the most important people were the traders who carried gold and ivory to the east coast. Great Zimbabwe did not have any metals of its own, so people had to get copper from mines in the north and gold from people in the south. It was this trade that made Great Zimbabwe one of the most powerful kingdoms of Africa in the 1300s.

A modern-day picture of the ruins of Great Zimbabwe (left). The drawing at the bottom is a construction of Great Zimbabwe at its height during the 1400s. Although the walls were tall and powerful, they were not built for defense. Instead they were built to enhance the power of the king.

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