The Malaria Crisis That Ended Great Zimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History · Sep 14, 2026 · 5m · transcript

For centuries, the stone walls of Great Zimbabwe stood as a testament to Shona power and trade. But by the late fifteenth century, the city was abandoned. Recent research suggests a silent killer played a major role: Plasmodium falciparum malaria. In this episode, we explore how mosquito-borne disease devastated the population, disrupted grain stores, and forced the elite to migrate to Khami. We look at archaeological evidence from the Hill Complex and Valley Enclosure, examining skeletal remains and environmental shifts that point to a public health catastrophe rather than simple political…