The Zimbabwe Culture: Origins and Decline of Southern Zambezian States (African Archaeology Series) [Paperback]

Innocent Pikirayi (Author), Joseph O. Vogel (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0759100918 | ISBN-13: 978-0759100916 | Publication Date: March 7, 2001

Offering a unique and original perspective on the rise and fall of indigenous states of southern Zambezia, The Zimbabwe Culture analyzes the long contentious history of the remains of the remarkable cyclopean masonry, ranging from mighty capitals of traditional kings to humble farmsteads. Forming a cornerstone of the geographical lore of Africa in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, debate on the origins, development, and collapse of the Zimbabwe culture has never ceased, and with increasing archaeological research over the twentieth century, has become more complex. Thoroughly examining the growth and decline of pre-colonial states on the entire Zimbabwean Plateau and southern Zambezia, Dr. Pikirayi has contributed tremendously towards the archaeological understanding of this extraordinary culture. The Zimbabwe Culture is essential reading for all students and avocationalists of African archaeology, history, and culture.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Pikirayi skillfully marshals archaeological, historical, environmental, and ethnographic data to explain social dynamics while telling an engaging tale of the rise and fall of these important feudal kingdoms. (A.F. Roberts Choice )

Archaeologycal discussions of the Great Zimbabwe rarely attempt to cover both the formative and later periods of Zambezian prehistory. Pikirayi's book is a welcome exception in this regard and does a good job of not only summarizing the earlier periods of political centralization, but also continuing into the protohistoric period to explore the complex impact of Portuguese adventurism on the internal development and fragmentation of post-Zimbabwe kindgoms on the Zambezian highveld....It covers a tremondous amount of ground, yet remains readable and informative. (James Denbow American Antiquity, Vol. 67.4 (2002) )

Innocent Pikirayi's Zimbabwe Culture is the latest synthesis [in the literature on Great Zimbabwe], and by far the best...Pikirayi takes his reader through the fascinating and often frustrating border zone between archaeology and history, all the while keeping his eye on the major theme—the unfolding history of the southern African state that had a key place in the subcontinent's early history. (Hall, Martin Journal Of African History, Vol. 44 (2003) )

Ever since the ancient monumental towns of central Africa first became known to Westerners in the sixteenth century, they were shrouded in 'mystery'--a mystification most undeserved that has often blurred their true significance in the history of African civilization. Dr. Pikirayi, from the unique perspective of one knowledgeable in the cultural and physical landscapes, as well as the archaeology of Zimbabwe, through the medium of current investigations and interpretation, unravels the tangled skein woven by some early observers. His is a refreshing, up-to-date look at the most monumental of the great autochtonous states of southern Africa. (Dr. Joseph Vogel From The Foreword )

About the Author

Innocent Pikirayi is Professor of History at University of Zimbabwe, Harare

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Altamira Press (March 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0759100918
• ISBN-13: 978-0759100916
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,370,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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