The Zimbabwe Culture

Origins and Decline of Southern Zambezian States

By (author) Innocent Pikirayi, Joseph O. Vogel

Paperback - £47.00

Publication date:

07 March 2001

Length of book:

336 pages

Publisher

AltaMira Press

ISBN-13: 9780759100916

Offering a unique and original perspective on the rise and fall of indigenous states of southern Zambezia, The Zimbabwe Culture analyzes the long contentious history of the remains of the remarkable cyclopean masonry, ranging from mighty capitals of traditional kings to humble farmsteads. Forming a cornerstone of the geographical lore of Africa in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, debate on the origins, development, and collapse of the Zimbabwe culture has never ceased, and with increasing archaeological research over the twentieth century, has become more complex. Thoroughly examining the growth and decline of pre-colonial states on the entire Zimbabwean Plateau and southern Zambezia, Dr. Pikirayi has contributed tremendously towards the archaeological understanding of this extraordinary culture. The Zimbabwe Culture is essential reading for all students and avocationalists of African archaeology, history, and culture.
Pikirayi skillfully marshals archaeological, historical, environmental, and ethnographic data to explain social dynamics while telling an engaging tale of the rise and fall of these important feudal kingdoms.