Great Zimbabwe walls begin to rise

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On the granite plateau between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers, Shona-speaking masons started dry-stacking the curved stone walls that would eventually grow into the largest stone complex in sub-Saharan Africa. Built without mortar, blueprint, or written plan, the great enclosures announced a cattle-rich kingdom linked by gold to the Swahili coast traders who carried its wealth across the Indian Ocean.