44 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS [VOL. 50 



place, but I can see no indications of any defined debris heaps, 

 though a good deal may, of course, have been washed down the 

 sloping hillsides. 



That the Temple is the work of a negro race admits of no doubt, 

 and though the style of architecture in general is different from 

 other Rhodesian ruins I have seen, yet there can be small doubt 

 that a negro race built it, and the presence of Nankin china among 

 the rubble walls conclusively proves it cannot be earlier than the 

 beginning of the XVIIth century or, at the very earliest, the very 

 end of the XVIth century. The work of the builders is very poor, 

 and were it not for the outer walls, one would say without hesita- 

 tion that the ordinary Rhodesian native would on the whole make 

 a better job. 



The only objects found among the stonework of the addition were 

 one iron arrow and two iron arrow shafts, a piece of yellow glass, 



be 



Fig. 17. — a, shaft of iron arrow head ; b, iron arrow head ; c, shaft of iron arrow 

 head. One-half natural size. 



and a small piece of iron with screw through same, which were 

 found on the top of the wall of the addition. These are shown in 

 figure 17. 



October 23. — Commenced excavating at the foot of the northwest 

 or entrance wall ; worked carefully among the monoliths, going 

 down to bed-rock, and though sherds of common household pottery 

 were found, the only other articles found were an iron spear-head 

 and portion of a native hoe, as given in the illustration. Having 

 found no skeletons in the main building, I was almost sure they 

 would be found outside, among the monoliths, but up to the present 

 nothing of the kind has been discovered. And yet what object 

 could the builders have had in view, in piling up heaps of stones 

 and placing monoliths about them? It is quite true the M'Shan- 

 gaan of today does not make his grave as these are made, if they 

 really are graves. He is content to bury his dead in a recumbent 

 position, without regard, so far as I can find out, to whether the 

 body faces east or west, and then around the actual grave he places 

 one thin line or circle of stones. Within a few hundred yards of 



