Although great progress has been made in revealing the true history of Africa, the influence of colonial prejudice still exists. When we look at the ruins of Great Zimbabwe and the historians, archaeologists, explorers and colonialists who try to deny its true history, we can find some of the most obvious examples of this influence.
Today, great zimbabwe ruins has been listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO, which is an important symbol of modern Zimbabwean national history. The stone remains are located on the plateau between limpopo river in the south and Zambezi River in the north, including a palace, a conical tower and several circular walls. The original builders, the ancestors of Shona people, were very good at carving Shi Zhuan, and they didn't need to use mortar. The ruins are basically intact and have been isolated from the threat of modern pollution and urbanization. This site is still of spiritual significance to the Shona people, and some remains still play a role in religious ceremonies.
The true history of greater Zimbabwe
It is believed that Greater Zimbabwe was originally the capital of a powerful and prosperous kingdom. The buildings that constitute the ruins are probably built by Shona people between 1 1 century and15th century. Shona people, a Bantu-speaking tribe, first migrated to southern Africa in the 2nd century.
Through Swahili trading ports on the east coast of Africa, Greater Zimbabwe has obtained goods from all over the world.
The kings of Great Zimbabwe controlled thousands of kilometers of territory, but they did not conquer their land with huge armies. The great king of Zimbabwe gained the power to rule from his special connection with the soul of the late ruler, who provided him with guidance. This mysterious connection with his ancestors enabled him to exert mental control over the rulers of smaller settlements in the area.
The king is also responsible for providing food for his people. He owns thousands of cows and may be responsible for supervising the storage and distribution of surplus grain. Some scholars believe that the famous conical tower in Great Zimbabwe is a symbolic grain storage box, thus reminding people of the role of the king in the survival of the whole community.
In the dry season, farmers in Zimbabwe became gold prospectors, and these gold made great contributions to the prosperity of the empire. Like ivory, it is one of the main trade items in Greater Zimbabwe. Through Swahili trading ports on the east coast of Africa, Greater Zimbabwe has obtained goods from all over the world. A large amount of evidence found on the spot helps to prove the connection between Greater Zimbabwe and this global trading network. Archaeologists have discovered a14th century CE coin, some13rd century Persian CE pottery and porcelain, and glass beads from the Ming Dynasty in China.
Unfortunately, during the colonial period, most of the evidence of the successful trade network in Greater Zimbabwe was used to support the theory that Caucasian civilization built this website. The existence of coins and Persian pottery was used to attribute the site to the builders of * * *, not the African aborigines. It further distorts the true history of the site. The earliest written record about Greater Zimbabwe was written in the 6th century/kloc-0. After the site was abandoned for a long time, most of these documents were written by Europeans who were not interested in accurately preserving Zimbabwe's history. African civilization.
Karl Mocher thought he had found Afei, referring to a wealthy trading post or port city in the Bible.
Karl Mocher and the Queen of Sheba
Karl Moche (his name is sometimes spelled Karl) is a German explorer and geologist. He was looking for gold and precious stones when he first met the ruins at 187 1. Mocher's prejudice influenced his theory about ruins. He doesn't believe that it is possible for African aborigines to build such complicated buildings. In his diary, he claimed that the local Africans he talked to had only lived in the area for about 40 years, and they were all very "convinced that whites had lived in the area" (Mauch, qtd. In Africa: the denial of history).
These logs are also full of pictures of cultural relics he found at the scene. Examination of these pictures shows that these items originated in Africa, but Mocky never admitted this fact. Instead, he made every effort to connect the ruins with the characters in the Bible. He believes that he has found Ophir, a wealthy trading post or port city mentioned in the Bible. He believes that this ruin was once the palace of the legendary ruler of the city, Queen Sheba. According to the Bible, the queen of Sheba came from a fertile land. When she visited King Solomon in Jerusalem, she brought him precious gifts, including gold, spices and precious stones.
Moher has little evidence to support this theory. While exploring this place, he found some cedar beams that he thought came from Lebanon. He concluded that only Phoenician merchants could provide such materials, which were also used to build Solomon's palace. Then he speculated that the Queen of Sheba was modeled after Solomon's palace.
Although there are few physical evidences or documents to support Mao Qi's theory, his speculation is supported by white colonialists, who are busy claiming land for the British Empire in this area. They accepted the wrong narrative because it provided a link between European civilization and the territory they occupied.
Theodore Bent, richard hall and Phoenicians
By A.D. 189 1 year, the ruins of Great Zimbabwe became part of the territory managed by the British South African Company, and later became southern rhodesia. At that time, Rhodesia was named after its founder Cecil Rhodes. At this time, the archaeologist Theodore Bent was in charge of the site. Leading the progressive exploration technology of the Royal Geographical Society and the British Association, he found some carved birds on the stone, which he thought was similar to the cultural relic Mediterranean civilization he saw when studying peace in the Near East. This insufficient evidence led Bent to conclude that the site was built by Phoenicians, and Africans only moved in after the Phoenicians gave up this place.
This theory is one of many theories accepted and popularized by British colonists to prove the rationality of white people's claim to African land. Later theories believed that this site belonged to the ancient Egyptians, the shipwrecked Vikings, and even the inhabitants of Atlantis mythology.
In A.D. 1902, Rhodes hired archaeologist and journalist Richard Hall to inspect and protect this site. Hall soon published a book, Ancient Ruins of Rhodesia, to discuss his findings. In the book, Hall asserts that Greater Zimbabwe was founded by "more civilized races" (quoted from Ampim, paragraph 4). Hall then began a period of "restoration", removing sediments from the whole site at a depth of two meters, with the aim of eliminating "filth and decadence during the [African] occupation" (ibid.). In the process, he destroyed most archaeological records that could finally prove that the site originated in Africa.
Gertrude Caton-Thompson managed to find a new set of fences, which enabled her to date the site and overturned the wrong theories of Mao Qi, Bent and Hall.
Gertrude Caton-Thompson's Application of Stratigraphy
Many people who were allowed to investigate the site in the early 20th century were just treasure hunters, who destroyed valuable evidence in the pursuit of gold cultural relics and other luxuries. Their behavior will make it more difficult for later historians and archaeologists to correctly identify and study this site. Gertrude Caton-Thompson, a pioneer of modern archaeology, studied this site on behalf of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. He was one of those who tried to uncover this heritage and destroy the truth.
Caton-Thompson believes that the early theory about this website is absurd. She intends to be more careful and thoughtful when checking the ruins. She used stratigraphy, one of the main techniques of modern archaeology, to determine her findings more accurately, but she encountered difficulties in Greater Zimbabwe because her predecessor destroyed too much evidence. She decided to use the plane to find the ruins that had not been plundered, and tried to find a new set of walls, which enabled her to date the ruins and overthrow the wrong theories of Mao Qi, Bent and Hall.
The evidence she found showed that the site was much younger than previously thought, so it was impossible to connect it with ancient biblical figures or civilizations. In her book Zimbabwe Culture, she concluded that the site was built by the indigenous civilizations of Africa in the Middle Ages with "originality and amazing industry" (quoted from Hall and Stefoff, 17). She also argued that any cultural relics that may be related to non-African civilizations are evidence of trade relations, not evidence that the site was built in the Near East or * * * civilization.
Despite her efforts to attribute the website to its real builders, Caton-Thompson's theory is obviously influenced by racism. One piece of evidence she used to support her discovery was the circular structure of the ruins. She thinks this proves the African origin of the site, because local people also use circular design when building houses and villages. Then, in order to show her prejudice, she added that if more advanced civilizations built this site, they would build straight and right-angled walls and buildings.
Radiocarbon dating is used in Keith Robinson.
In A.D. 1958, archaeologist Keith Robinson began to use radiocarbon dating method to determine the age of some wooden poles he found while excavating in Great Zimbabwe. His tests confirmed that the wood came from a tree cut between 9 15 and 12 15, which confirmed Caton Thompson's theory that the site was built in the Middle Ages. Later, scholars cross-checked Robinson's discovery with other radioactive carbon samples collected from the site, and came to the conclusion that most of the buildings were built in the heyday of Great Zimbabwe civilization from 1300 to 1450.
The legacy of false history continues.
Although the discovery of Robinson and Caton Thompson should have put an end to the early theory that Great Zimbabwe was founded by a lost white civilization, the myth about its history still exists under the impetus of racial prejudice and persistent desire to defend European colonization.
1965, southern rhodesia broke away from British rule under the leadership of white colonist iain smith, who claimed to be the prime minister of this new country. Meanwhile, Smith continued to fabricate false reports about the history of Greater Zimbabwe. For example, the tour guide shows that black Africans succumbed to white visionaries, who are believed to have built the circular walls and magnificent palaces of the site.
1980, Zimbabweans overthrew Smith and gained independence. They adopted the name "Zimbabwe" to connect with their early history. Theodore Bent's famous stone bird, once used as "evidence" of the Phoenician origin speculated by the site, is now the national emblem of Zimbabwe, appearing on their national flag, coat of arms and currency. Now it is generally believed that the site is the work of Shawna's ancestors, but the false historical heritage still exists. Even on the UNESCO website, which explains the importance of Great Zimbabwe as a world heritage, the site is described as "the ancient legendary capital of the Queen of Sheba". Perhaps it is hoped that the true history of Greater Zimbabwe will one day become the only history we know.
The influence of prejudice on the history of Greater Zimbabwe is an obvious example of how colonialism defiled the study of African history. The proper study of African civilization and its history is entirely due to the achievements of African indigenous people, which is an important part of the decolonization process. We must all make greater efforts to distinguish truth from prejudice, which has formed a false narrative in Africa. History is too long.