POSSELT RUINS. SECTION B
This lies to the west of Section A of the Posselt Ruins, which it immediately adjoins on its south-west side and practically forms part of the same ruins.
Its area is 110 ft. from east to west, and 75 ft. from north to south, and is oval in plan. The construction of the walls is excellent, and this section appears to be one of the earliest period ruins. Its central portion has been filled in, and some of the walls dividing off the enclosures are still buried beneath the débris. There are no signs of native occupation of the interior of the ruins, but on the outside of the building are the circular ruins of old native huts and débris consisting mostly of ashes, bones, and pottery.
Only the three enclosures at the west end have been cleared out to their old floors, but nothing was found of any antique character.
Walls.—The outer walls are massive and show excellent construction, and average in height between 5 ft. and 10 ft., their width being 6 ft. at 5 ft. above the ground. The inner walls are also massive and are fairly well built, being 5 ft. wide at 4 ft. above the ground. There is a narrow and low divisional wall of poor construction cutting off the north-east portion of these ruins, and this most probably is of later date.
Entrances.—There are only two entrances through the main or outer walls. The one on the north-east side is 2 ft. 6 in. wide, and has very massive walls, which are rounded, and all exceptionally well constructed. There is a pair of rounded buttresses immediately inside, and these have portcullis grooves. The foundation of the main wall forms the floor of the entrance passage.
The south entrance is 4 ft. wide, and is built upon the foundation of the main south wall. It is narrowed to 2 ft. by two rounded buttresses, and these have portcullis grooves.
“Sentry-box.”—This class of structure has been popularly termed “sentry-box.” In the angle at the north-east corner is a rounded wall with a narrow opening into the inside. This is situated close to the entrance leading into Section A, and its position suggests the idea that it was used as a sentry-box guarding the entrance. There are several of these structures at Zimbabwe, and they all occupy a similar position near entrances.
Drains.—There are three drains through the walls of this section of the Posselt Ruins, one in the south wall passing through a wall 5 ft. 6 in. wide, one in a divisional wall, 4 ft. wide, which projects from the south main wall towards the north, and one in a divisional wall 5 ft. wide at the north-west of the building.
A semi-circular buttress projects 11 ft. into the interior from the cunei face of the north-east main wall. It is 27 ft. round its outer face. On the east side the buttress is 8 ft. high, and on the south and west sides, owing to dilapidations, and also to a higher floor, these faces are only 4 ft. and 5 ft. high. The top surface is covered with a foot depth of granite cement.
Circular platform.—This is at the eastern extremity of the ruins. It is 21 ft. in diameter and 5 ft. above the floors of the adjoining enclosures. On the east side the summit is approached by granite cement steps which are large and well rounded, and on the south by stone steps.
On the west of this platform are two raised enclosures immediately on the inside of the main wall. The northern one has steps leading some way towards the west side of the Circular Platform, and there probably once reached its summit.
Cement dadoes.—In these ruins are many lengths of granite cement dado work, the greatest length intact being 33 ft., and this is on the east of the west main wall. This work is also extensively found in the Parallel Passage. Not only is it found on the faces of walls, but also on round buttresses and on the side walls of entrances, thus reducing their widths by about 5 in. It runs about 3 ft. higher than the cemented floors.