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 foundation bed upon which the wall is built is purely artificial. Evidently the ancient architects prepared a level surface for the wall, because there is only from 3 ft. to 5 ft. difference in the level of the foundations all round, notwithstanding that on the south-east the ground towards the “Valley of Ruins” and the temple which is erected on the edge of its slope commands the “Valley of Ruins.”

The surface of the prepared foundation consisted of fine cement, now decomposed[50] to firm dry sand. This cement is in places at least 3 ft. deep, is laid on the granite formation for 10 ft. and 15 ft. beyond the wall on both inside and outside the building, and later, when the lower courses of the foundation had been laid, a further flooring of cement was laid, making the side of the lower portion of the foundations at least 1 ft. 6 in., if not 2 ft. 6 in. deep.

The enormous amount of time and labour required to be expended merely in preparing the surface on which to erect the temple is bewildering to contemplate, and fairly rivals as a demonstration of patient labour, length of time of construction, and good workmanship the massive walls themselves. The decomposed cement, which has now become mere sand, was very finely ground, there being not the smallest splinter of granite in its composition. The cement being yellow suggests that the ancients, to save breaking up large pieces of stone, were content to collect small fragments of granite which had become decomposed, and therefore were easier to grind, for everywhere in this locality, especially in damp places and near any granite boulder or glacis, are to be found quantities of small granite chips all yellow with decomposition. Possibly granite sand from neighbouring streams might also have been utilised.

CHEVRON PATTERN

On the upper portion of the exterior face of the south-east main wall is the celebrated chevron pattern which forms one of the most interesting features at the Elliptical Temple. This pattern runs for 265 ft. 6 in. from [189 ft.] to [456 ft. 6 in.] on the line of measurement of the exterior circumference of the temple, that is, from south-south-east to east-north-east.

The pattern is in two rows or bands, which together are 18 in. deep, and Bent states that “it extends along the part of the wall which receives directly the rays of the sun when rising at the summer solstice.” The portion of the main wall carrying the pattern is in the form of an arc, and is the best-built and most substantial part of the wall. Granite monoliths still stand more or less erect on the summit of the wall above the pattern, but not elsewhere. Over the pattern are the foundations of what appear to have been small circular towers resembling in size and position those on the main west wall of the Western Temple on the Acropolis.

In 1903 a quantity of sections of worked soapstone beams were found on the summit of the wall over the pattern. On no other portions of the summit are there traces of monoliths, round towers, or soapstone beams. Bent was unaware of the existence of the traces of round towers or of the soapstone beams on the wall over the pattern, yet he writes, as seems perfectly correct, “Those parts only of the wall which receive the direct rays of the sun when rising at the summer solstice are decorated by this symbolical pattern.” This statement equally applies to the Eastern Temple on the hill and to the large curved wall in Philips Ruins, also to the Western Temple, only in this latter case the great main wall, which is in the form of an arc and is decorated, receives on its face the rays of the setting sun at the winter solstice. A very strong corroboration of this statement is afforded by several other of the more important ruins in Rhodesia which are built upon the curved plan.

In this pattern the blocks are placed on end with the top of each supported by the neighbouring block on one side, thus forming a series of triangular spaces with the bases alternately up and down. The sides of these angular spaces are about 7 in. long, and the openings have been neatly filled in with small stones set back inside 2 in. or 3 in. from flush with the face of the wall. The pattern is somewhat dilapidated in places owing to creeper growths on the wall and to the swinging of large tree branches, which in every wind beat the pattern and loosened the stones forming it.

Chevron pattern was in ancient times the symbol for Fertility. It closely resembles the Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol for water, and also the zodiacal sign of Aquarius, and represents the sea on such Phœnician coins as have engravings of ships.

This pattern is found on several of the ruins of the oldest type, and not on such as by their style of architecture may be considered to be of a later ancient period. It is found in several of the large ruins between Zimbabwe and the Sabi, also at Umnukwana Ruins. A portion of chevron of small size is to be seen at Dhlo-dhlo.