Great Zimbabwe — Buried Valley Midden North (Great Enclosure)
Zimbabwe Midden N
Neolithic to Bronze Age (6000–1200 BCE)·Bronze Age·🇿🇼 Masvingo, Great Zimbabwe, Buried Midden, Zimbabwe
About
About Great Zimbabwe — Buried Valley Midden North (Great Enclosure)
Great Zimbabwe — Buried Valley Midden North (Great Enclosure) in Masvingo, Great Zimbabwe, Buried Midden, Zimbabwe is a Neolithic to Bronze Age (6000–1200 BCE) buried city attributed to Bronze Age. Systematic survey and magnetometry document architectural phasing. The site includes a principal platform and domestic quarter. Dimensions insula 28 × 42 m; street grid 120 m × 90 m; area 34.8 ha. Excavation buried; condition buried under 2–5 m alluvium/colluvium. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans available.
Why it mattersKey Bronze Age buried-city with stratified sequence and landscape setting at 1100 m elevation.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology and phasing
- 02Construction technique
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre
- 02Territorial marker
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3000 BCE
- Period
- Neolithic to Bronze Age (6000–1200 BCE)
- Culture
- Bronze Age
- Purpose
- Buried urban quarter under later deposits
- Rediscovered
- 1988
- Excavation
- Buried
c. 3000 BCE
Initial construction / foundation
c. 1179 BCE
Major refurbishment / second phase
1957
Modern rediscovery and excavation
On the ground
Structures & features
20.2700° S · 30.9300° E · 1100 m · 3 mapped features
Buried Insula North
insulaBuried Insula North at Great Zimbabwe — Buried Valley Midden North (Great Enclosure) — insula with stratified deposits
20.2690° S · 30.9276° EStreet Grid Sector
streetStreet Grid Sector at Great Zimbabwe — Buried Valley Midden North (Great Enclosure) — street with stratified deposits
20.2699° S · 30.9310° EWorkshop Terrace
workshopWorkshop Terrace at Great Zimbabwe — Buried Valley Midden North (Great Enclosure) — workshop with stratified deposits
20.2693° S · 30.9280° E