Living in certain parts of southern Africa over 1,000 years ago has long been a question researchers have asked themselves. And the question of how the residents of the city of Great Zimbabwe managed to stay hydrated has also been a big question.
The city is located south of the Sahara, i.e. where Zimbabwe is today, and it was characterized by a lot of heat and drought. There are also no natural lakes in the area.
Now, however, it seems that the mystery has been solved. And the explanation for why the inhabitants of the city managed to survive is really quite simple.
– Safe
Several researchers, including the Danish archaeologist Søren Kristiansen, have studied the area. In the surveys, they found what they refer to as large “holes”.
Previously, it was assumed that this was the residue after excavations of clay. But now the researchers have found that the “holes” were used as water reservoirs, write Videnskap.dk.
The researchers used laser technology to carry out investigations, and then found a pattern in that they found more holes. This further led them to find out that the holes were not accidental, but that they were supposed to catch the rainwater that ran down the mountain sides.
In the research, they used, among other things, an airplane.
– It gave us a detailed topographical map of the area. Complex computer simulations then showed that rainwater followed a path down the mountains that were very close to these holes. It cannot have been accidental, says Kristiansen to Vitenskap.dk.
Drop this word
– It is something that has not been discovered before. And although we still cannot say exactly when they were dug, we are sure that we have solved the riddle of how people collected water both for themselves and their livestock, says Kristiansen.
The city was abandoned
The study has been published in the scientific journal Anthropocene.
It also receives support from Mette Løvschal, archaeologist and professor at the University of Aarhus.
– It is a relatively simple research design, but it is very robust. The team manages to combine different methods that combine each other, says Løvschal to Vitenskap.dk.
Great Zimbabwe had a central role in trade in Africa. Among other things, Chinese ceramics and Arab coins have been found. It is believed that the population was around 10,000 inhabitants, according to Unesco.
People of Great Zimbabwe lived in the city from the 12th-17th century, when the Shona people left the city. The reason why people left the city is unclear, but it is considered likely that it was a lack of resources and overpopulation that contributed to the migration, writes National Geographic.
Today, the city consists of ruins, and is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
