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Home > Zimbabwe Iron Age Ruins

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Created 30/09/2007 - 17:52

Zimbabwe Iron Age Ruins

There are at least 200 African Iron Age (200-1800's AD) ruin sites in southern Africa with stone walling of the Zimbabwe Tradition. Most sites occur in south and east Zimbabwe, at altitudes between summer cattle grazing on the plateau and winter grazing in the low-veld. Most sites contain evidence of iron smelting. Late in the Iron Age, gold was traded with Arab and later, Portugese traders on the east coast. Chinese Ming Dynasty pottery and glass beads were imported into these Iron Age sites. Most sites are interpreted to have been abandoned after environmental degradation. Below are links to some examples of different ruin sites mapped between 1994 and 2015.

Great Zimbabwe (1200-1450's AD):

 

 

 

 

 

Inyanga (1500-1600's AD)

Lake Kyle Iron Age Site

KyleView_SiteMap copy.JPG

Lekubu Island: Botswana

Lekubu_1_sketch copy 2.JPG

 

Lebuku.JPG

Map of Iron Age Ruins in Southern Africa

Map_Zimbabwe_Ruins_Small.jpg

Mataderi (1700-1800's AD):

Matao Ruin: Hwangie National Park

Matao_sketch copy 2.JPG

Mejiri Ruins: Mashvingo

Mejiri_Map copy.JPG

 

GrainBin.JPG

Muchuchi

Ngankezi Ruin

Ngankezi_Ruin_WholeSite_Small.jpg

Zinjanja or Regina Ruins (1600-1700's AD):

Sketch_Zinjanja_2015_webb.JPG

 

 

Ziwa (300-1000's AD):

 

 


Source URL (retrieved on 04/04/2025 - 10:31): http://www.terraneanalysis.com.au/archaeology/zimbabwe