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

It is difficult to state the exact circumference of the base throughout the extent of the foundations, as a granite cement raised floor, with steps, is constructed up against the base of the north side, but it may be taken to be about 57 ft. 6 in. The measurements of the circumference of the tower at different heights are as follows: at 5 ft. above floor 53 ft. 8 in.; at 10 ft., 50 ft. 4 in.; at 15 ft., 46 ft. 1 in.; at 20 ft., 39 ft.; at 25 ft., 32 ft.; at 27 ft. 6 in. (where the broken portion of the summit commences), 30 ft. 2 in. The average battering back of the tower, so far as the broken edges of the present summit will permit of approximately correct measurements being taken, is, at the following heights, as follows: at 10 ft. above floor 1 ft. 7 in.; at 15 ft., 1 ft. 10 in.; at 20 ft., 2 ft. 6 in.; at 25 ft., 4 ft. 2 in.; and at 27 ft., 5 ft. 5 in.

The battering is far more regular on the west and south sides, where it is also a few inches less severe. To secure the inclining back of the sides of the cone, the blocks from front to back on its circumference are laid on the flat on a dead level, and yet so slightly do the blocks of one course lie back beyond the edge of the faces of the blocks of the course below that, except at one or two points, it is almost impossible to notice where the batter takes place. Even the blocks in the bulge on the north side have been ascertained to be still perfectly level.

There is a slight bulging on the east and north-east sides at 10 ft. to 15 ft. above the floor, and this somewhat reduces the extent of battering-back on those sides at that height. This bulging creates an optical delusion, for visitors almost always declare that the tower has tilted slightly to the north-east. But this tilting has now been proved not to exist. There are many causes which may have brought about the bulging. A large branch of hard-wood tree, the trunk of which is believed to have been over one hundred years old, had for years, even in light breezes, scraped up and down this side of the tower, and also it was on this side that most of the monkey rope, creepers, and bushes were growing out of the crevices of the tower from base to summit.

The foundations are exceedingly shallow, being only some 10 in. to 18 in. below the granite cement flooring. The foundation of the main wall near this point is only 10 in. below the same flooring. The lowest course of blocks of the tower is of the average size of the blocks used in the face of the structure. These rest on what was originally granite cement, but which, with the dripping of storm water for centuries down the large area of the face of the tower, has now become mere yellow sand. This, however, remains very firm, and still makes a good foundation. The foundations have not at any point sunk below their original level, but there are evidences that its enormous weight has caused the tower to settle firmly on to its bed.

The present reduced summit of the tower, where it is intact, slants down from the west and south and south-east edges some 4 ft. towards the north-east, but the block débris on the summit only slants for 2 ft. in the same direction. In the centre of the summit is a hole sunk down into the top of the tower some 4 ft. It will be remembered that Dr. Karl Mauch (1871) admitted having made this hole for the purpose of ascertaining whether the tower was solid. The hole was once much deeper, but debris has filled it up to 4 ft. from the summit. Mauch also made a second hole in the west face of the tower at 5 ft. from the floor. This also showed the tower to be solid. Theodore Bent (1891) also made a hole for a similar purpose. This is on the south face, and extends from the foundation to 4 ft. above the flooring, and he pronounced the tower to be perfectly solid. A certain Rhodesian, bent, as he confessed, on finding “The Treasure Chamber”(!), made another hole on the east side, at 5 ft. from the ground, and with the same result, but this hole is so neatly built up afresh that it can only just be located. The hole made by Mauch remained unbuilt up until 1902, and several courses above it have consequently sagged. In 1902 a thin wire rod inserted in this last hole and passed through joints of internal dry masonry for 8 ft. towards the centre showed the tower to be solid.

The dentelle pattern, which Mauch stated ran round the eastern portion of the summit of the tower, is now represented by only ten blocks. These form three sets of double courses of the dentelle pattern, as on the summit of the eastern face of the Eastern Temple on the hill, and two blocks of a lower course more to the east, and two loose dentelle blocks lying on the summit of the tower. One extremity of the pattern was undoubtedly, as can be seen on close inspection, facing the south-east, but it extended some little distance round towards the east, but how far it is now quite impossible to ascertain. Mauch owned to having destroyed a portion of the pattern in making the hole on the summit.

The pattern was formed by two rows of wedge-shaped blocks placed to project 2 in. beyond the face of the wall, while above them, just as in the dentelle patterns elsewhere, were placed heavy blocks and throughs or ties, as if to bind effectively the stones forming the patterns, as the introduction of a decorative pattern in ancient walls anywhere in Rhodesia can be seen to have proved a point of weakness in the durability of the faces of the walls. The summit of the tower has been greatly dilapidated by small trees and bushes growing on the top, the stumps and roots of which can still be seen.

The best idea of the symmetry and accuracy of the contour of the tower can be obtained by standing on the summit of the main wall, near the top of the visitors’ ladder.

THE SMALL TOWER

The base of this stands in Sacred Enclosure (east), at 5 ft. 2 in. north-east of the large tower. Its circumference at the cement floor is 21 ft. 7 in. At 4 ft. above the floor it has a circumference of 19 ft. 10 in., the dilapidation not being so serious as to prevent this measurement being taken. The present reduced height is as follows: west side, 3 ft. 2 in.; south side, 4 ft. 6 in.; east side, 6 ft. 6 in.; and north side, 5 ft. 3 in.