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

The main wall is 98 ft. long, measuring along its inside face, and starts on the eastern side from the south face of the cliff for 10 ft. to the rounded entrance to the Gold Furnace Enclosure. This 10 ft. length of wall is 8 ft. higher than the interior floor at the cliff end, and is 5 ft. high at the entrance. The entrance is 3 ft. wide at the present top and 2 ft. on its floor. From the rounded entrance the wall runs facing east-south-east for 24 ft. This section of the main wall stands 8 ft. above the present level of the interior, but 12 ft. 6 in. from an ancient floor exposed in a trench sunk some 4 ft. 6 in. into the present floor. At the south end of this length there is a gap in the wall of 22 ft., the wall which remains rising only 6 in. above the present surface of the lowest part of the temple. The wall starts again at the south end of the gap, and runs for 39 ft. towards the south-south-west. The highest portion of this length is 11 ft. 3 in. above the ancient floor as exposed in the trench cut along the interior face of the main wall, the south-western end of the wall being only 4 ft. higher than the Western Entrance, which has been raised at a later period 5 ft. 6 in. above the original floor of the entrance.

EXTERIOR OF MAIN EAST WALL, SHEWING DENTELLE PATTERN, EASTERN TEMPLE, ACROPOLIS

SUNKEN PASSAGE, LOOKING EAST, EASTERN TEMPLE, ACROPOLIS

The widths of the main wall are as follows:—

The 10 ft. length is 7 ft. wide at the present floor, but was probably wider, as its eastern face has fallen out into the Gold Furnace Enclosure, which is immediately below. The angle between the east outside face and the cliff was filled in by a rounded buttress, which has also collapsed and fallen into the enclosure below.

The 24 ft. length is 4 ft. 7 in. wide on the present summit. At 12 ft. south of the Eastern Entrance, an inner or banquette wall runs along the inside of the main wall, and stands out 2 ft. at its north end, 7 ft. at south end, till it narrows into and becomes part of the main wall at the Western Entrance.

The 22 ft. length is 5 ft. wide at the bottom of the gap, with a further width of 3 ft. 6 in., which includes that of the banquette wall.

The 39 ft. length of main wall is 5 ft. wide on the summit, and this with the width of the banquette wall, which at this point is 5 ft. 6 in. wide, makes a total width of 10 ft. 6 in.