Great Zimbabwe Joined Global Trade

Great Zimbabwe was a sophisticated medieval African city whose massive stone walls were built without mortar, relying instead on carefully shaped and precisely fitted stones to remain standing. Archaeologists also uncovered distinctive soapstone bird sculptures believed to have served religious purposes. Pottery from China and Persia, along with Arab coins, shows that the Shona kingdom was connected to far-reaching trade networks linking inland southern Africa with the East African coast and the wider Indian Ocean world.

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