Archaeology of the Rovzi : toward a historical archaeology of South-Western Zimbabwe

Abstract

The archaeological identity of several Khami-phase sites (AD 1400-1830), especially those situated to the east of the Khami capital in the Insiza district, has always been a subject of great speculation. In particular, questions about their development, the identity of dynastic groups that inspired their general rise and spread, as well as the possible existence of evidence of changeover between the Torwa and Rozvi phases have always featured at the core of archaeological enquiry. This study, therefore, sought to define the archaeological identity of the Rozvi in south-western Zimbabwe by comparatively analysing material culture from Danamombe, Naletale and Zinjanja sites. In order to gather data, surveys, excavations and a rigorous review of Torwa and Rozvi oral and documentary sources was undertaken. It turned out that a combination of both physiographic and sociological factors gradually shaped the evolution of cultural complexity in south-western Zimbabwe. In addition, the sample of Khami-phase sites targeted for study shared a lot in common; they were all contemporary and their stratigraphic profiles revealed an unbroken cultural sequence. Since the bulk of material culture recovered from the three research sites remained stylistically unchanged through time, it was only the associated radiocarbon dates that provided clear-cut avenues to demarcate Torwa from Rozvi occupational phases. This general continuity in stylistic patterns either implies that Rozvi agents simply chose to promote group solidarity by maintaining old Torwa traditions or material culture typologies by themselves are too rigid to reflect dynamic social processes. Although numerous ethnohistoric sources emphasised that Rozvi identities were situationally expressed through the objectification of multiple tangible and intangible “things” scattered across the Zimbabwean landscape, the diagnosis of these ethnic symbols from Khami-phase sites nominated for study was never really straightforward.