Great Zimbabwe gold rises in trade

1130

Swahili coast port cities including Kilwa began minting copper coins and trading actively with the Shona highlands. Gold dust, ivory, and animal skins flowed east; cotton cloth and Chinese porcelain moved inland. Great Zimbabwe's wealth rested on this long-distance trade network. The Shona elite who controlled the gold routes built their great stone enclosures as symbols of authority, visible across the granite plateau for miles.