Great Zimbabwe. 507 



down the ascents, and to-day as a native ascends these passages it 

 is almost impassible to see him until he has reached the summit, 

 except as he is passing gaps or walls which have become consider- 

 ably dilapidated. Some of the outer walls of these ascents are still 

 J o feet in height. 



(g) The Elliptical Temple and the Western Temple of the 

 Acropolis have each long ami narrow ami deep parallel passages on 

 the inside of the main walls, and it is possible that Pattern Passage 

 acted for a similar purpose at the Eastern Temple. The Parallel 

 Passage in the Elliptical Temple communicated only betwen the 

 Xorth Entrance and the Sacred Enclosure, where are the Conical 

 Towers, and this passage has no communication with any other por- 

 tion of the interior of the Temple. Several of the writers on these 

 ruins, including Mr. Bent, have conjectured that these parallel pas- 

 sages in the temples were reserved for the use of the priests. 



(//) Cliffs and large boulders have been frequently utilised to 

 form lengths of passages. Instances of this practice are to t)e seen 

 in the Acropolis in the Rock Passage of the South-east Ancient 

 Ascent, Buttress Passage. North Passage, and elsewhere, in some 

 instances the walls are made to go out (jf their line so as to include 

 neighbouring boulders, the object, so it would ap[)ear. being to 

 deprive anv invading force of the \antage offered b\ die height of 

 the boulders for an attack to be made on the passage. 



(/) There are no evidences that any of the passages, except as 

 stated later, were ever roofed. Possibl\ the Winding Stairs and the 

 sunken passage in the Eastern Temple were originally covered over, 

 as great quantities of long flat slate and granite beams were fomid 

 on their floors. It is believed that a single wall once crossed over 

 the sunken passage in Platform Enclosure at aboiu 15 feet from 

 its upper end. for when this passage was opened in 1 90J slate beams 

 were found at this spot, but at no other [joint in the passage. The 

 passage through the main west wall of the Western Temple, aiid 

 which was blocked u[) b\ a IMakalanga-built w^all. of course was 

 Covered over by the main wall, while the Covered Passage in the 

 same Temple remains intact as originally l)uilt. Moreover, the 

 widths of many of the passages, though narrow on their floors, are 

 wide at the summits of the side walls, and this and their irregular 

 form preclude suggestion of any roofing having been placed over 

 them, some being doubly as wide as the longest of the slate ■^.nd 

 granite beams found, beside which, the general absence of long slate 

 and granite beams on the floors of the passages would seem to fur- 

 ther negative any such conjecture. The west passage leading to the 

 South Cave was not artificiall\ roofed over. l)ut the outer wall was 

 raised up to the height of the boulder which overhangs the passage. 



The BaHering of Walls. — The inclining backwards of both 

 faces of a wall from their bases to summits is a general characteriscic 

 of ancient architecture at Zimbabwe and all other ruins which belom^ 

 to the earliest known type of ancient buildings in this country. This 

 feature, .so far as examinations have been made, is conspicuous In its 

 absence from ancient buildings of the second or later period. 



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