Imagine a civilization so advanced it built monumental stone cities without using any mortar.

A place of such immense wealth that its gold and ivory flowed across the oceans to Asia,

and in return it received exotic luxuries like Chinese porcelain and Persian glass beads.

Yet for centuries its story was largely unknown to the wider world.

We are talking about Great Zimbabwe.

This incredible ancient city was the heart of a powerful kingdom built by the Shona people

on the rich fertile plateau of modern days in Babway.

At its peak it was a hub of sophisticated trade and a master of agriculture.

But why did this thriving civilization eventually decline and fade,

and how did a new power the Mutapa Empire rise from its shadow

only to face a new and disruptive force from the sea, the Portuguese?

Join us as we explore the fascinating history of Great Zimbabwe

is remarkable people

and the epic story of trade, power and change in sub-Saharan Africa.

The History of the World podcast, written andimbabwe Thank you. A brief introduction to sub-Saharan Africa.

Entering the first millennium CE, the best-known societies in Africa were located along the northern Mediterranean coastline which was subject to the, and along the comparatively fertile banks of the

River Nile. Very little is specifically known about the societies in the rest of the continent

at this point. The Roman presence in Africa gave the Axomites in the Horn of Africa a great trading partner.

Their access to the Arabian Peninsula and India meant that they could help supply exotic goods

to wealthy Romans which in turn enabled the Axomites to benefit and enhance their own wealth,

leading to the growth of the Axomite Empire.

When the Romans converted to Christianity, the Axomites decided to follow suit,

...