PrimeLuck ArtsGreat Zimbabwe
Great Zimbabwe was a large stone city and trading centre. Its dry-stone walls and carved soapstone birds are among the best known works of southern Africa.
- Period
- African art history
- Approximate dates
- c. 11th to 15th century
- Place of origin
- Southern Africa, near Masvingo, Zimbabwe
- Key regions
- Zimbabwe plateau and southern Africa
- Art forms
- Dry-stone architecture, soapstone sculpture, ceramics
- Major artists
- Unknown Shona builders and carvers
Visual introduction
Great Enclosure
Unknown Shona builders · c. 13th to 15th century · Dry-stone granite walls · Great Zimbabwe National Monument, Zimbabwe
One of the largest ancient stone structures in sub-Saharan Africa, built without mortar.
Image: Photo: Jens Klinzing, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Hill Complex
Unknown Shona builders · c. 11th to 15th century · Dry-stone walls · Great Zimbabwe National Monument, Zimbabwe
A walled royal and ritual area built among the granite boulders of the hill.
Image: Photo: Andrew Moore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Zimbabwe Bird
Unknown Shona carvers · c. 13th to 15th century · Soapstone
Carved birds on tall columns, now an emblem of the nation.
Historical context
Great Zimbabwe was built by ancestors of the Shona people. It grew rich from cattle, gold and long-distance trade that reached the Indian Ocean coast, and objects from as far as China and Persia have been found there.
During the colonial period, some European writers denied that Africans could have built it, a claim that research has shown to be false. The name Zimbabwe, meaning stone houses, was later chosen for the country, and the soapstone bird became its national emblem.
Visual characteristics
Architecture: tall, curved walls made of granite blocks laid without mortar, and enclosures with towers, passages and decorative patterns.
Sculpture: carved soapstone birds on tall pillars.
Meaning: a royal and spiritual centre, and a symbol of African achievement.
Related movements
Sources and further reading
Further reading: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Smarthistory. UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Great Zimbabwe National Monument.