July, 1905.] 



KNOWLEDGE & SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



187 



among the oldest type of building to be found in the 

 country. This group was re-discovered in 1868 by 

 Adam Renders, an elephant hunter. In 1891 Mr. 

 Theodore Bent visited the place and described it in his 

 " Ruined Cities of Mashonaland." But in the days 

 when Mr. Bent visited Zimbabwe, the whole of the 

 ruins were in a buried condition, yet so far as he was 

 able to describe these structures his account is per- 

 fectly reliable and of permanent value for the anti- 

 quarian. 



During 1902-4 the Government of Rhodesia engaged 

 Mr. Hall to explore this group of ruins and to take 

 measures to secure their preservation. The interiors 

 had, in the course of long centuries, become filled in 

 with silted soil, the debris of later occupiers, and fallen 

 walls, as well as rank sub-tropical vegetation. This 

 gradual filling-up process had led to the burial of the 



what extent the ruins had in the course of ages been 

 covered over. But the area occupied by this group is 

 so extensive, and the distinct ruins are so numerous, 

 that these operations, carried on under great dilTiculty 

 and necessitating the constant exercise of care and 

 patience during the exploration, still leave the great 

 bulk of the Zimbabwe ruins buried and unexamined. 

 It is quite possible that the buildings contain many 

 more secrets of an important character to be unravelled 

 by the archaeologist. 



The ruins of the Great Zimbabwe consist of three 

 main sets of structures — (i), the Elliptical Temple with 

 the conical tower; [2), the Acropolis or Hill Ruins of 

 bewildering extent on Zimbabwe Hill; and (3), the 

 Valley of Ruins, these latter being a conglomeration 

 of smaller ruins of all ages occupying a large area in 

 the Zimbabwe Valley. 



Fig. I. Inttrior of Elliptical Temple, looking East, shjwing Conical Tower.— Qreat Zimbabwe. 



ancient floors to a depth varying from six to twelve 

 feet. With the aid of a gang of native labourers the 

 work of clearing the interiors of some of the important 

 portions of the buildings was taken in hand, but the 

 operations, though carried on for over two years, re- 

 vealed only a portion of the ruined structures com- 

 prised within the limits of the " Dead City." 



Enough, however, was disclosed to prove beyond 

 question the past existence of Phallic litholations, and 

 solar worship of a very old cult practised by the original 

 occupiers. Not only were entirely fresh features of 

 ancient architecture discovered, but such of the original 

 floors as were uncovered yielded priceless relics of pre- 

 historic times, including gold ornaments and religious 

 emblems in rich profusion. When it is stated that 

 thousands of feet in length of narrow and labyrinthine 

 passages which had become lost to sight were dis- 

 covered and cleared of debris, one can understand to 



The chief archaeological interest, however, centres in 

 the Elliptical Temple (Fig. i), an object arousing 

 wonder and even sheer amazement to all who visit 

 these ruins. Its massive and stupendous walls, grace- 

 fully sweeping curves, and most excellent workman- 

 ship and decorative mural patterns, at once rivet the 

 attention. The plan of the building is elliptical, while 

 the ends of the walls, sides of entrances, and buttresses 

 are all rounded. The angular form of building is 

 absent. The walls are very substantially built of 

 dressed granite blocks laid without mortar or cement, 

 and have bases averaging from 7 ft. to 16 ft. in width, 

 and are beautifully and skilfully constructed not only 

 on their exterior faces, but in their internal portions. 

 The walls average a height of from 24 ft. to 31 ft., the 

 main east wall being 16 ft. wide at its base, but at a 

 height of 30 ft. its summit is 8 ft. in width. The lean- 

 back or batter-back of the faces of the wall gives an 



