Ancient+Zimbabwe-Region

=Region=

Landforms and Climate
City of Zimbabwe was on a hilltop. It is located on the southeastern coast of Africa. Most of the empire was on highlands so therefore it was very safe from the dangerous disease infected tsetse flies that were usually close to water. In Ancient Zimbabwe rains were good for the farmers and helped many trees grow. Zimbabwe's land was good for mining granite, iron, copper, and gold.

Architecture
Homes looked like this:

Image from: [|http://www.walnut.nl/pva/dorpje.jpg]

Made with sticks, they formed walls, with grass piles for the roof. This blocked the sun and while the temperature outside could be boiling, it would feel very cool inside.

Although a lot of the architecture were simple like the one above had, more modern architecture had European influence. They were usually built with bricks, still in a simple layout, like a brick box.

Image from: http://www.trc.org.ls/images/picture_galleries_maseru/brick-houses.jpg

//A Falcon and crocodile is a religious structure.// Picture from: http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Classroom/9912/zimbabwei.gif

In Ancient Zimbabwe the Shona people believed the god Mwari. He was responsible for the natural order. Close to Mwari was the Mhondoro (tribal spirit). He was consulted through special lion-spirit mediums. Mhondoro made matters of state for example rainfalls. There were other superstitions of spirits like Mudzimus, Shaves, and Ngozis. A Mudzimu was an ancestor that could be approached for healing and illness matters. Shaves possessed people they fancied and taught them useful skills. Ngozis are spirits who were murdered or mistreated in their earlier time. Ngozis made people sick.

Political System
In Ancient Zimbabwe Local Chiefs ruled smaller places. They won the villagers support by giving them small gifts of food. Sometimes chiefs were replaced if they ran out of small gifts of food to the villagers.

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