Masvingo Province

Great Zimbabwe consisted of two major parts. The majority of its more than 10,000 inhabitants lived in closely packed mud-and-thatch houses. Little archaeological work has been carried out in these precincts and comparatively little is known about the way ordinary people lived. In contrast, a small elite lived at the centre of the town in houses protected from general view by high stone walls. Almost all research has focused on this area, and many of the walls still stand today, testimony to the status and authority of Great Zimbabwe’s rulers.