Great Zimbabwe, Mashonaland, Rhodesia / An account of two years' examination work in 1902-4 on behalf of the government of Rhodesia

by R. N. Hall

NO. 1 ENCLOSURE

THIS enclosure is on the north side of the temple, the outer face of its north-eastern wall being 18 ft. south-west of the North Entrance. This is the most perfect of all the enclosures. It is roughly circular, and there are no angular features in the body of the wall, though both entrances have their outer corners squared. The area is: north to south 56 ft. 6 in., and east to west 55 ft. 6 in.

The average height of the walls all round the enclosure is 7 ft. above the present surface of the filled-in area. At the north-east end the summit of the wall is 11 ft. above the bottom of an old hole excavated at that point, and in the hole the foundation is exposed. On the north-west side the summit of the wall is 9 ft. above the red cemented floor of an old Makalanga hut which had solid clay sides.

The walls are very substantial, being 5 ft. 6 in. wide and 4 ft. and 5 ft. above the surface of the area, as it was before clearing operations were commenced.

There are two entrances, one on the north side and the other on the east side.

The north entrance leads from No. 3 Enclosure, and is 2 ft. 6 in. wide, and its walls are rounded on the inside and angular on the outside, the side walls being between 3 ft. and 4 ft. high. There are four rows of steps, somewhat rudely constructed, each being about 10 in. from front to back. A small parapet wall carries the steps from the lower level of No. 3 Enclosure.

The walls of the east entrance are rounded on the inside and angular on the outside. The entrance is 2 ft. wide, 5 ft. long, with a level floor for this length, the foundation being carried across the opening, and the walls on either side are 4 ft. high. There is one step inside at the end of the 5-ft. length, and one step outside from the floor of South Passage. There are no portcullis grooves to this entrance. On the inside of this entrance is a stone platform which might once have carried buttresses.

This enclosure has been subjected to the filling-in process more than any other enclosure of the temple, probably because of its proximity to the North-West Entrance through which the material could easily have been brought in from outside. On the present surface there are remains of an old Makalanga hut, which must be more than sixty years old, seeing that the Makalanga have not resided in the temple for over that period. At a depth of from 1 ft. 6 in. to 2 ft. below this surface the remains of a still very much older Makalanga hut have been exposed. This was constructed of red clay, beautifully polished, the flooring being on a very true level. This class of old huts had their clay sides altogether independent of the roof, which was supported by poles inserted at a distance of some inches from the outside of the walls. (See Architecture—Makalanga Huts.)

The only “finds” made here were fragments of large soapstone bowls carved with herring-bone and cord patterns, small clay animals, assegai heads, and pottery of old, but not ancient, design or make, and comparatively recent native pottery.

A drain passes through the west wall of this enclosure, and has a fall into No. 3 Enclosure.

Bent stated that this enclosure was not a portion of the original building. There are indications that this conjecture is correct. The walls are built without any regularity in courses and of stones of all shapes and sizes, the west wall crossing over the foundations of an older wall.