A-level Notes History - EARLY AND LATER IRON AGE COMMUNITIES OF ZIMBABWE - ZIWA

The archaeological findings at Ziwa settlement in Eastern Zimbabwe have provided invaluable information  into the lives of the Early Iron Age people from the 4th to the 11th Century AD.  Carbon and potassium dating from the excavation have enabled historians to classify the Early Iron Age culture from this people with other settlements on the other Zimbabwean plateau. The discoveries point to an Iron Age agricultural society. Ziwa just off the town of lnyanga is a beautiful acropolis. The stone wall structures are a magnificent work of art. The stone buildings are evenly shaped and laid without motor. The stone wall structures are built from an open valley up to the hill tops. They are so elaborate that they bring nostalgic feelings of these people and their activities.  Confusion  is brought about by armature conclusions without scientific support when some historians claim that Ziwa existed in the '4th century and others claim late  in the 15th  Century. What is relevant and prudent then is that this is an early Iron Age farming settlement as can be proven by carbon dating on the fossils and artifacts excavated on the site.

The magnificent Ziwa stone walled complex was built from stone boulders cleared from the surrounding hills as people sought to make the area inhabitable and agriculturally friendly. Anthropological  research at villages around Ziwa  point to a Shona settlement rich  in various types of economic activities and hierarchical structure.  Excavations at the Ziwa settlement sites unearthed a cocktail  of economic activities.  Strawn over the Ziwa complex are large scale stone terraces which cover steep hills as evidence of the practice of crop cultivation. There are also a wide range of cultivating ridges covering hundreds of hectares of fertile valley soils, again pointing towards a crop cultivating economy. The valley is clear of the tallying rocks from nearby hills attesting to the clearing of these stone boulders to build strong homesteads. The valley complex is littered with old water furrows or canals demonstrating that the Ziwa economic culture was so advanced that they devised techniques to argue against eratic rainfalls at times irrigate their domesticated cereals. The Ziwa  river streams provided adequate flows of water for the vast looking valley fields. The vital fundamentitch was the construction of these canals into the lying field over area covering more than a 100km to areas crossed by these furrows. Given the evidence of these canals,  it shows that food security was guaranteed by the early  Iron Age societies at all times.

In the middle of the valley, stone-wall structures are still standing at Ziwa. There are "pit like" homesteads, with a deep base,  indicating a potentially sedentary agricultural community.  In between the homesteads,  is another stone roomed structure, with a small  hole, which is a kraal of animals. The set up explains the importance attached to the domesticated animals. They were kept safe from wild predators and human cattle rustlers. The setup of pit structures are different from stone walled strutures on hill tops, which were plainly royal palaces without cow dung. These are well fortified  homesteads. The uphill stone walled structures, depict an aura of prestige and phenomenal achievements. They are a symbol of human civilization and fortitude. They appear defensive because the stone boulders become much bigger as one goes up the hill complex. The way the walls were built explains the permanency of the human settlement and development of the human appetite for beauty and romantic taste. They are beautifully structured, which means the amount of time and labor invested  in the town was immense and massive.  One can see the surrounding valleys from the plushy stone walled acropolis,  at the highest hill top point. To the amazement of visitors, there is a sedimentary rock used as a bell,  again explaining the human permanent settlement and device for communication.

At the Ziwa settlement were discovered,  a variety of iron tools and weapons. There is also evidence of iron technology from deep cast iron forges (mines) strawn all over the surrounding mountainous Ziwa region.  Found were hoes,  rakes and axes used for crop cultivation. There were also remains of carbonated seeds of rapoko,  sorgum,  gourds,  millet, melons and pumpkins,  confirming the claim that Ziwa was a settled agricultural society. The carbonated seeds were also found in  broken pots dated back to between 300 -- 1000AD. Information on economic activities of Ziwa is confirmed by anthropological studies from villages around Ziwa.

The reconstruction of Ziwa  has seen the discovery of the so called pit like  houses in the middle of fortified  homesteads, explaining the pastoral  life of the Ziwa  people. Archaeologists  discovered that, the Ziwa people reared cattle, sheep,  pigs and goats. They also kept fowls like chicken and guinea fowls and rabbits like hare and rock rabbits as small  'pot' livestock. Cattle were a symbol of wealth and security. They got milk,  meat and hides for loin  leather clothes and bags.  Cattle were also used as draught power and lobola (roora). They later traded cattle with grain,  also as attested by anthropological evidence cattle were leased  (kuronzera). Ziwa were Iron Age grain growers and pastoralists.

Ziwa complex give evidence of continuous settlement at different stages by these Shona societies. This is ethnographical and anthropologically supported. Archaeologists discovered rock art in the caves of Ziwa  Mountains, suggesting that at one time the area was occupied by the late Stone Age hunter-gatherers  communities.  Found were crude, chipped stone tools of the Sangoan tradition suggesting also that before the late Stone Age, Ziwa was formally occupied by the Early Stone Age and Middle Stone Age.  Radio and Potassium Carbon dating,  show that the Ziwa Stone Culture span a period  of 48 000 years. Even after the settlement by the Early Iron Age societies, Ziwa was also occupied by Late Iron Age societies. This is the dilemma of archaeology, where successively various cultures inhabited the same settlement. They discovered late  Iron Age tools and evidence. The fine pottery,  hut floors,  benches and dagga walls suggest a later Iron Age Settlement.  Grain stones are indicative of production of surplus grain. Archaeologists  discovered grooved rocky surfaces and several quarry stones, showing grain as a principle crop of Ziwa culture. There is also a large circle built directly on the ground, which should have been used as a grinding and winnowing platform. The platform has a dagga floor  well  compacted to allow smart production of sorgum,  rapoko and millet meal.  Ziwa also has granary bases from the main kitchen and bedrooms suggesting various stages of human development at the site, which attest to the transition from Early Stone Age to Later Stone Age and Early Iron Age to Late Iron Age.

Discovery of cowrie shells explains the link between Ziwa and the Indian  Ocean. There were also remains of foreign pottery or ceramic objects, suspiciously from Asia, which explains that Ziwa traded regionally and internationally.

The impressive and elaborate stone walled structures up the hills of Ziwa which are strikingly in contrast with  less elaborate valley fortresses help to explain a class stratified society with a distinct political structure. The rulers of Ziwa were housed right at the hill tops where stone boulders are larger and stone walls are thicker and better designed to show the level of differences between the valley complex dwellers and the royal  hill top complex dwellers. The Great Ziwa stone walled town was a hive of economic, social and political activities.  It exudes a high level of economic and political,  social and religious organization which could only be possible under a very strong political  leadership. Such public works of collecting and transporting stone boulders and laying them expertly like was done at the site,  needs a definitive authority,  both charismatic and brutal. The Ziwa settlement site is one of the largest stone walled towns in Zimbabwe, covering a whole range of mountain hills and valleys.  Religious and political authorities were inextricably interwoven to instill natural discipline in such societies, without inviting rebellions or resistance. The economic prosperity of Ziwa held the community together up to the time the population exploded and the complex became a complex for uncharismatic leaders.  Economic decline due to unfavorable weather conditions, depletion of other natural  resources and exhaustion of fertile soils and pastures resulted in the abandonment of the site for other Zimbabwean settlements. The big boulders and thicker walls, complemented  by the height of the hills settlements,  express the desperate need for security of the leaders of the day. These stone walled fortresses reduced the risk of any physical threats to the leaders. Also in the valley were stone walled structures and houses which shows how defense conscious the Ziwa people were. They committed centuries of labor to fortify their town.