Zvongombe

16°42′24.4″S 31°12′44.1″E / 16.706778°S 31.212250°E / -16.706778; 31.212250

A map of archaeological sites in Zimbabwe

Zvongombe is an archaeological site in Mashonaland Central, Zimbabwe, located near the Zambezi River. It is the home of a 15th-century namesake city. It is believed to have been settled around 1450.[1] The decline of Great Zimbabwe in the 15th century led to the establishment of the Kingdom of Mutapa. According to oral tradition, around 1420, Chibatamatosi sent Nyatsimba Mutota north to look for salt.[2] He found salt 300 miles (480 km) north by a tribe of elephant hunters near the Zambezi River in a gold-rich area.[3] Nyatsimba Mutota took some of his people and moved to the modern-day Centenary area, settling the first capital at Zvongombe.[2]

  1. ^ "The rise of the Mutapa State and the early arrival of the Portuguese c.1450 - c.1480 | Zimbabwe Field Guide". zimfieldguide.com. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  2. ^ a b "Tracks4Africa". Tracks4Africa. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  3. ^ ADF (2019-06-14). "The Mutapa Empire". Africa Defense Forum. Retrieved 2024-01-12.