Rosicrucian Beacon Online - 2012-12 - AMORC

Reconstruction of the Great Enclosure
[Source: ETHIOPIA TIMES. Issue #19. March 7th, 2009]
fortress, was largely built by them. They also
constructed the inner wall of what is now known
as the ‘Great Enclosure’, as well as other buildings
in the Valley Complex. They had an intricate
knowledge of soil, climate and vegetation.
Significant political and economic developments
occurred. The Karanga cleared the woodland
for their cattle and agriculture, and copper was
smelted for ornaments and wire.
It was around 1450 CE that the Rozwi people
displaced the Karanga, their period lasting up to
around 1800. The famous stone carved Zimbabwe
birds are the best-known examples of their
cultural and religious art. One of these birds has
been included in the flag and national emblems of
Zimbabwe. The meaning of the bird is a mystery,
but it has been linked to the bateleur eagle, and
is a symbol of the religious belief in the royal
ancestral spirits, who acted as guardians, caring
for and sharing in every aspect of the daily life of
the people. When the king died, his spirit joined
theirs as they soared over the plains below.
The central power of the state lay in the hands
of a priest-king and the priests who controlled
© Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC
their religion, and the complex ancestor rituals
associated with it. Through the vadzimu or
deceased ancestors, they, and especially the king,
acted as intermediaries between the Supreme
Being and the ordinary people. Their wealth and
growing trade allowed them to develop a military
and economic kingship of astonishing power and
efficiency.
The Rozwi people demonstrated notable
architectural skills with many building works
accomplished. They also worked iron, traded
ivory and produced gold from the rich deposits
on the plateau. These they traded with the Arab
traders from the East African Indian Ocean towns,
which all passed through the Swahili city state of
Sofala in Mozambique. For centuries Sofala was
the coastal port for the gold trade with South
Central Africa, and through which, in return,
came imports of Syrian glass, Persian faience and
Chinese celadon. There was also an important
textile industry, together with pottery making
and soapstone sculpture. At its height, Great
Zimbabwe controlled a trade network from the
Kalahari to the coast of Mozambique, and held
sway over a land area of some 100,000 square
miles.
The Hill Complex
The ruins of Great Zimbabwe lie in a green,
wooded valley in the middleveld, near the presentday
provincial capital of Masvingo, on Zimbabwe’s
central plateau. They cover nearly 1,800 acres and
are famous for the excellence of their architecture.
The site is divided into three distinct architectural
groupings known as the ‘Hill Complex’, the ‘Valley
Complex’ and the ‘Great Enclosure’. It may have
had as many as 20,000 inhabitants at its height.
Many extravagant theories have surrounded its
origin, including its being founded by the Queen
of Sheba!
The Hill Complex, the oldest part of the site
and dating back as far as 320 CE, is an acropolis
or a citadel on top of a long granite hill some 250
feet above the valley floor which is covered by
enormous granite boulders. It has magnificent
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