The Rozvi Empire
Key Points
- The Rozvi Empire (1684–1834) was established on the Zimbabwean Plateau by Changamire Dombo. After Dombo's death, his successor adopted the title Mambo. The term "Rozvi" refers to their legacy as a Warrior Nation known as the plunderers.
- The Rozvi were formed from several Shona states that dominated the plateau of present-day Zimbabwe at the time. They drove the Portuguese off the central plateau, and the Europeans retained only a nominal presence at one of the fair-towns in the eastern highlands.
- The Rozvi chiefs revived the tradition of building in stone and constructed impressive cities, now known as 'zimbabwes', throughout the southwest. Polychrome pottery was also emblematic of its culture.
- The Rozvi empire had many economic branches but agriculture was its backbone. They planted crops such as sorghum and millet and the state depended heavily on subsistence farming. Livestock was also another important agricultural branch. They kept animals such as sheep, goats, cattle and chickens; those with many livestock were considered rich and were accorded very high economic status within the society.
- Trade was another important economic activity and the Rozvi practiced both internal and external trade. From foreign traders they obtained imported goods such as guns, salt, beads and sea shells; in return they bartered ivory, copper and gold. Mining was another major branch and was done by males.
- Its warriors were known to be violent; this earned them the name rozvi, meaning plunders or destroyers. They became the most powerful fighting force in the whole of Zimbabwe.
- Records from the Portuguese show that the Rozvi were sophisticated military strategists. They were noted for using the cow-horn formation years before the great Zulu leader Shaka adopted it in the 19th century. The warriors were armed with spears, bows and arrows when they raided others or defended their state.
External Links
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References Wikipedia contributors. (2018, December 30). Rozwi Empire. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:53, February 3, 2019, from Link