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Great Zimbabwe's 1370 Gold Trade Collapse and the Rise of the Mwari Oracle
In 1370, the gold trade that had sustained Great Zimbabwe for centuries suddenly collapsed. This episode examines the economic crisis triggered by shifting Indian Ocean trade routes and the political fallout that followed. How did Mambo Chikanda and the vaShona elite respond when the flow of gold from the Tugwi River mines dried up? The answer lies in a dramatic turn toward the Mwari oracle cult, which had long been a peripheral religious force in the Matopo Hills but now became central to the state's legitimacy. We explore the struggle between the traditional svikiro spirit mediums and…
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