<< Chapter < Page
  History grade 6   Page 1 / 1
Chapter >> Page >

Social sciences: history

Grade 6

Trading in africa’s ancient kingdoms

Module 15

The earliest kingdoms in southern africa

Read the following story of Mapungubwe and Great Zimbabwe. Complete the activity at the end.

Mapungubwe

Arab traders were looking for gold and Chinese traders wanted ivory. Both of these were available on the plateau where Zimbabwe lay and where the Shonas were living. The trading that developed here continued for more than 1000 years, and reached a peak between 1100 and 1400 A.D.

The centre of trade activities in Southern Africa was the isolated hill of Mapungubwe (the place of the great jackal) in the Northern Province, now Mpumalanga. The culture around this settlement probably formed the first black state in South Africa.

A prosperous town had developed in the Limpopo valley by about 1000 A.D. Its inhabitants gradually started gaining control over the surrounding areas, especially with regard to gold. The rulers of the region settled on the flat-topped mountain, while their subjects lived on the plain below the mountain. This mountain dwelling then became known as Mapungubwe.

The stronghold soon became a prosperous trading centre that reached its peak in the 12 th century, when it controlled the trade in gold with the East. With the rise of Great Zimbabwe in the 14 th and 15 th centuries, the rulers of Mapungubwe began losing control over this trade.

Important towns and centra

Great Zimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe is situated about 30 km from Masvingo (previously known as Fort Victoria). The name originated from the Shona word maDzwimbabwe or dzimbohwe, which means “large stone building" or "houses of stone”. It was also known as the Empire of Monomotapa. It consists of an extensive complex of precisely planned walls that were constructed without foundations or the use of mortar, and extends over 24 ha. The great outer wall at Great Zimbabwe measures 255 m, and it was built with around about one million blocks of dressed granite. It is the largest building in Africa after the Egyptian pyramids.

The town Great Zimbabwe

The area was under the control of the Karanga- Rovzi people between 500 and 1500 A.D. The hilltop had become overpopulated sometime between 500 and 1000 A.D. and buildings were then erected below the hilltop. It was a trading centre, but the population consisted mainly of farmers, tradesmen and artisans who lived in traditional wood and plaster huts. (Each complex of huts was a family dwelling consisting of huts for women and children, huts for sleeping, for cooking and for entertaining guests.

The town centre

  • The town centre consisted of two parts: - a hill to the north, where the king had his dwelling - a valley to the south, where the women and children resided
  • The open space between the two groups of buildings probably provided a public gathering place
  • Stone walls (thick line) protected the king and his family
  • The common people – approximately 30 000 – lived in the area surrounding the town centre.

Great Zimbabwe was the centre of a regional trading network along the East Coast. There were gold mines at various places on the Zimbabwean plateau. Most of these were shallow, but some mines were deep. Gold, copper and iron were melted and forged and exported to the East. Gold was carried to the coast where it was traded for beads, cloth and porcelain. Gold had great importance for Europeans and Arabs, because it was scarce and could be used as currency. Beads and cloth, again, were scarce commodities in early kingdoms and these were therefore regarded as symbols of wealth.

Muslim traders

Great Zimbabwe had started to decline by 1400 for reasons of a political nature. This caused division between rulers and eventually led to the disintegration of the kingdom into smaller states.

During the 1400s a new empire came into existence in the Northwest of the Zimbabwean plateau. This was the Empire of Monomotapa, which was named after its first ruler and lasted into the 1800s. Like Great Zimbabwe, it was dependent on the gold trade with the East Coast.

The coming of the Portuguese, who tried to take over the trade with the Arab traders in Mozambique and the armies of Mzilikazi (Ndebele chief) and the warring Zulus from the south under Mzilikazi probably hastened the process. Modern Zimbabwe is situated more or less where this empire used to exist.

One of the birds of Great Zimbabwe, carved from soapstone

Activity 1:

To identify similarities and differences between the people of great zimbabwe and ourselves

[lo 3.1]

a) Suppose you and a group of friends decided to live like the people of Mapungubwe and Great Zimbabwe. Conduct a class discussion on the following:

  • Which aspects of their lives could possibly be realised in the present time and in modern society? Motivate.
  • What are the challenges / problems that you might experience?

Assessment

LO 3
HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION The learner will be able to interpret aspects of history.
We know this when the learner:
3.1 interprets sources:
  • compares two versions of an historical event using visual or written sources;
3.2 reconstructs the past:
  • distinguishes opinions from facts and information;
3.3 representation of the past:
  • identifies and selects items which represent an aspect being studied, to contribute to a class display, school museum or community archive.

Questions & Answers

physiological Psychology
Nwosu Reply
How can I develope my cognitive domain
Amanyire Reply
why is communication effective
Dakolo Reply
Communication is effective because it allows individuals to share ideas, thoughts, and information with others.
effective communication can lead to improved outcomes in various settings, including personal relationships, business environments, and educational settings. By communicating effectively, individuals can negotiate effectively, solve problems collaboratively, and work towards common goals.
it starts up serve and return practice/assessments.it helps find voice talking therapy also assessments through relaxed conversation.
miss
Every time someone flushes a toilet in the apartment building, the person begins to jumb back automatically after hearing the flush, before the water temperature changes. Identify the types of learning, if it is classical conditioning identify the NS, UCS, CS and CR. If it is operant conditioning, identify the type of consequence positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement or punishment
Wekolamo Reply
please i need answer
Wekolamo
because it helps many people around the world to understand how to interact with other people and understand them well, for example at work (job).
Manix Reply
Agreed 👍 There are many parts of our brains and behaviors, we really need to get to know. Blessings for everyone and happy Sunday!
ARC
A child is a member of community not society elucidate ?
JESSY Reply
Isn't practices worldwide, be it psychology, be it science. isn't much just a false belief of control over something the mind cannot truly comprehend?
Simon Reply
compare and contrast skinner's perspective on personality development on freud
namakula Reply
Skinner skipped the whole unconscious phenomenon and rather emphasized on classical conditioning
war
explain how nature and nurture affect the development and later the productivity of an individual.
Amesalu Reply
nature is an hereditary factor while nurture is an environmental factor which constitute an individual personality. so if an individual's parent has a deviant behavior and was also brought up in an deviant environment, observation of the behavior and the inborn trait we make the individual deviant.
Samuel
I am taking this course because I am hoping that I could somehow learn more about my chosen field of interest and due to the fact that being a PsyD really ignites my passion as an individual the more I hope to learn about developing and literally explore the complexity of my critical thinking skills
Zyryn Reply
good👍
Jonathan
and having a good philosophy of the world is like a sandwich and a peanut butter 👍
Jonathan
generally amnesi how long yrs memory loss
Kelu Reply
interpersonal relationships
Abdulfatai Reply
What would be the best educational aid(s) for gifted kids/savants?
Heidi Reply
treat them normal, if they want help then give them. that will make everyone happy
Saurabh
What are the treatment for autism?
Magret Reply
hello. autism is a umbrella term. autistic kids have different disorder overlapping. for example. a kid may show symptoms of ADHD and also learning disabilities. before treatment please make sure the kid doesn't have physical disabilities like hearing..vision..speech problem. sometimes these
Jharna
continue.. sometimes due to these physical problems..the diagnosis may be misdiagnosed. treatment for autism. well it depends on the severity. since autistic kids have problems in communicating and adopting to the environment.. it's best to expose the child in situations where the child
Jharna
child interact with other kids under doc supervision. play therapy. speech therapy. Engaging in different activities that activate most parts of the brain.. like drawing..painting. matching color board game. string and beads game. the more you interact with the child the more effective
Jharna
results you'll get.. please consult a therapist to know what suits best on your child. and last as a parent. I know sometimes it's overwhelming to guide a special kid. but trust the process and be strong and patient as a parent.
Jharna
what is learning? discuss how any three scholars propounded on how learning is
Grace Reply
Got questions? Join the online conversation and get instant answers!
Jobilize.com Reply

Get Jobilize Job Search Mobile App in your pocket Now!

Get it on Google Play Download on the App Store Now




Source:  OpenStax, History grade 6. OpenStax CNX. Sep 08, 2009 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11011/1.1
Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc.

Notification Switch

Would you like to follow the 'History grade 6' conversation and receive update notifications?

Ask