Shows / Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Perched on a windswept plateau in southern Africa, Great Zimbabwe stands as the continent's most monumental pre-colonial stone city — a testament to the ingenuity of the Shona civilization that built it between the 11th and 15th centuries. This show, hosted by Lucas and Luna, delves into the rise of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe, from its origins as a modest ironworking settlement to its zenith as a trading power whose gold and ivory reached as far as China and Persia. We explore the architectural…
Episodes
Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo HistoryGreat Zimbabwe: Mambo Chikanda and the Gold Embargo of 1320
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the untold story of Mambo Chikanda's bold economic gamble: the gold embargo of 1320. As the ruler of Great…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Chitono and the Cloth Trade Rebellion
In Episode 97 of our Great Zimbabwe series, we explore the Cloth Trade Rebellion of the early 1300s, when Mambo Chitono faced a crisis that threatened the…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Rusvingo and the Conical Tower's Hidden Chamber
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a recent discovery inside the Conical Tower of Great Zimbabwe's Great Enclosure. Archaeologists using…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Chitono and the Cloth Trade Rebellion
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Cloth Trade Rebellion of 1315, a pivotal uprising led by Mambo Chitono against the Mambo Ndabaningi's control…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Gara and the Blood Pact of 1288
In 1288, Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Gara faced his greatest challenge yet: not a drought or a war, but a rebellion from within his own elite guard. This…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Chitono and the Cloth Trade Rebellion
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a lesser-known crisis in Great Zimbabwe's history: the Cloth Trade Rebellion of 1296. When Mambo Chitono, a newly…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Mambo Rusvingo's Stone Guilds and the Conical Tower
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the engineering marvels of Great Zimbabwe's stone masonry, focusing on the reign of Mambo Rusvingo and the…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Gara and the Year the Rivers Ran Dry
In 1315, the rains failed at Great Zimbabwe. Mambo Gara faced not just a drought but a crisis of legitimacy. This episode follows Gara's desperate…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Chisamuturu and the Iron Oath of 1258
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a pivotal event that solidified royal authority at Great Zimbabwe: the Iron Oath of 1258, sworn by Mambo Chisamuturu…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Dandaro and the Gold Fraud of 1310
In 1310, Great Zimbabwe's gold trade with the Swahili coast was rocked by a scandal that reached the Mambo's court. This episode tells the story of…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Rusvingo and the Stone Mason Guilds
In this episode, we explore the hidden world of the stone masons who built Great Zimbabwe's iconic walls. Lucas and Luna uncover the role of Mambo…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Dandaro and the Gold Weights Scandal
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a forgotten economic crisis at Great Zimbabwe: the gold weights scandal of the late 13th century. They focus on Mambo…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Soapstone Birds: Spirit Messengers of the Mambo
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the iconic soapstone birds of Great Zimbabwe—the seven carved birds discovered in the ruins, now a national symbol…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Gara and the Spirit Mediums of the Matopo Hills
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the spiritual underpinnings of Great Zimbabwe through the reign of Mambo Gara and his relationship with the svikiro…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Gara and the Spirit Mediums of the Matopo Hills
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the spiritual underpinnings of Great Zimbabwe through the reign of Mambo Gara, who turned to the rainmaking mediums of…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Nemakonde and the Poison Ordeal of Succession
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the shadowy succession crisis that gripped Great Zimbabwe after the death of Mambo Chisamuturu in 1260. They delve into…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Chikanda and the Tugwi Salt War
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Tugwi Salt War of the 1290s, when Mambo Chikanda of Great Zimbabwe faced a rebellion from the muraya salt miners…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Chisamuturu and the Cattle Raid of 1260
In 1260, Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Chisamuturu faced a devastating cattle raid by the rival Torwa kingdom. This episode explores how the Mambo rebuilt his…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Chisamuturu and the Cattle Raid of 1260
In 1260, Great Zimbabwe was still a rising power, but its supremacy was not yet assured. When the Torwa kingdom to the southwest raided Zimbabwe's royal…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Nemakonde and the Poison Test of Succession
In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore one of the most dramatic and controversial traditions of Great Zimbabwe: the poison test of…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Gara and the Great Drought of 1300
In this episode, we explore how Mambo Gara, a 13th-century king of Great Zimbabwe, faced one of the region's worst droughts. As the rains failed and the…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Shumba and the War with Mapungubwe
In the early 1300s, Great Zimbabwe faced its greatest military challenge yet: the kingdom of Mapungubwe to the south. This episode follows Mambo Shumba, the…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Nyatsimba Mutota: Founding the Mutapa Empire
This episode of Fexingo History follows the story of Mambo Nyatsimba Mutota, the Great Zimbabwe king who, in the early 15th century, led a northern expedition…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Shumba and the War with Mapungubwe
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the conflict between Great Zimbabwe and the rival kingdom of Mapungubwe in the 13th century. They focus on Mambo…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Gara and the Great Drought of 1300
In the early 14th century, Great Zimbabwe faced its first major environmental crisis: a decade-long drought that threatened the Mambo's authority and the…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Chikanda and the Battle for the Tugwi Salt Fields
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the reign of Mambo Chikanda, the Great Zimbabwe king who fought a brutal war for control of the Tugwi River salt…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Gara: The King Who Fought the Climate
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the reign of Mambo Gara, the 14th-century king of Great Zimbabwe who faced a devastating drought caused by the Little…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Chikanda and the Battle for the Tugwi Salt Fields
In the early 1300s, a forgotten Mambo named Chikanda fought a brutal war to control the salt mines along the Tugwi River. This episode dives into the strategic…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Iron Masters: The Mambo's Hidden Forges
In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna delve into the industrial backbone of Great Zimbabwe — the iron smelting industry that powered the…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Gold Trade: The Mambo's Silent Diplomacy
Long before European contact, the rulers of Great Zimbabwe managed a vast gold trade network that stretched across the Indian Ocean. In this episode, Lucas and…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Water Engineers: The Mambo's Hidden Aqueducts
Long before the Great Enclosure rose, the people of Great Zimbabwe mastered water. This episode follows the stone-lined channels, underground drains, and…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Salt Miners: The Mambo's Underground Economy
In this episode, Lucas and Luna descend into the salt mines that fueled Great Zimbabwe's economy. They explore how the Mambo controlled salt production…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Sacred Cattle: The Mambo's Herd as Power
In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the role of cattle in the economy and politics of Great Zimbabwe. While prior episodes covered iron…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Mudzinga and the Building of the Great Enclosure
In the early 15th century, Mambo Mudzinga transformed Great Zimbabwe from a modest settlement into a monumental stone city. This episode explores how Mudzinga…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Hidden Economy: Salt Mining and the Mambo's Power
Episode 64 dives into an overlooked cornerstone of Great Zimbabwe's economy: salt. While gold and cattle get the glory, salt was the silent currency that…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Grain Bins: The Mambo's Food Security
In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the often-overlooked infrastructure that kept Great Zimbabwe's capital fed: the vast network of…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Conical Tower: A Stone Enigma Decoded
In Episode 62 of Fexingo History's Great Zimbabwe series, Lucas and Luna tackle the most mysterious structure in the kingdom: the Conical Tower inside the…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo Mudzinga: The Reformer King
This episode zooms in on one of Great Zimbabwe's most enigmatic rulers: Mambo Mudzinga, who reigned around 1450 C.E. Unlike his predecessors, Mudzinga…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Sacred Conical Tower: A Stone Enigma
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the mysterious Conical Tower of Great Zimbabwe, a tapering stone structure inside the Great Enclosure whose purpose has…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Copper Cross Currency and Indian Ocean Trade
In Episode 59 of Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone, Lucas and Luna explore the copper cross currency that powered Great Zimbabwe's…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Sacred East Gate: Where Kings Met Ancestors
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the spiritual and political significance of the East Gate at Great Zimbabwe. More than just an entrance, the East Gate…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Dhlandhlo: The King's Sacred Duty
In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the dhlandhlo — the sacred royal duty of the Mambo at Great Zimbabwe. This wasn't just a…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Soapstone Birds: Messengers of the Mambo
Lucas and Luna explore the iconic soapstone birds of Great Zimbabwe, discovering that these carved figures were far more than artistic symbols. They were…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Forgotten Rivals: The Torwa Kingdom
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Torwa kingdom, the often-overlooked successor state to Great Zimbabwe that flourished in the southwestern Zimbabwe…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Sacred East Gate: Where Kings Met Ancestors
Episode 54 of Fexingo History turns to a largely overlooked feature of Great Zimbabwe: the East Gate of the Hill Complex. Lucas and Luna explore how this…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Last Stand: The Siege That Ended an Empire
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the final days of Great Zimbabwe — not through the usual lens of gradual decline, but through a specific, dramatic…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mwari Temple at Matonjeni
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the spiritual heart of Great Zimbabwe: the Mwari temple at Matonjeni, a cave in the Matopo Hills that served as the…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Iron Hoes and the Lobola Economy
In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the hidden engine of Great Zimbabwe's wealth: the iron hoe. While gold and cattle often steal…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
The Mambo's Bodyguard: Great Zimbabwe's Warrior Elite
This episode of Fexingo History dives into the legendary warrior elite of Great Zimbabwe—the Mambo's personal bodyguard. Lucas and Luna explore how these…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Cotton Weavers: The Textile Economy
This episode explores the hidden textile industry of Great Zimbabwe, focusing on the cultivation of cotton, spinning, and weaving that powered the…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Iron Trade: The Mambo's Secret Weapon
When most people think of Great Zimbabwe, they imagine gold and ivory. But this episode reveals a different story: how iron—the workaday metal of hoes, spears…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
The Mambo's Poison Oracle: Justice and Execution at Great Zimbabwe
In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna delve into the dark and fascinating world of the poison oracle, a judicial and spiritual practice used at…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Ironworkers: The Mastery of Smelting
In this episode, Lucas and Luna uncover the story of Great Zimbabwe's iron industry—the hidden foundation of its power. They explore how Shona smiths…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
The Mambo's Tax Collectors: Great Zimbabwe's Bureaucracy
After decades of trade, ritual, and stone building, how did the Mambo actually manage the wealth of Great Zimbabwe? This episode pulls back the curtain on the…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mwari Cult and the Great Drought of 1550
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the pivotal role of the Mwari cult during the Great Drought of 1550, a period of severe climate stress on the Zimbabwe…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Mambo: The Sacred King and His Daily Life
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the daily life and responsibilities of the Mambo, the sacred king of Great Zimbabwe. They discuss the rituals that…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Cattle Wealth: The Mambo's Royal Herds
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the central role of cattle in the economy, politics, and ritual life of Great Zimbabwe. While previous episodes covered…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Fire-Setting Miners: Ancient Gold Extraction
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the ingenious mining techniques of Great Zimbabwe's gold prospectors, focusing on fire-setting—a method of heating…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
The Rozvi Empire: Great Zimbabwe's Successor State
After the decline of Great Zimbabwe, the Rozvi Empire rose to dominate the Zimbabwe Plateau. This episode explores the Rozvi under Changamire Dombo, their…
- Great Zimbabwe: The Lost African Kingdom of Stone — Fexingo History
Great Zimbabwe's Stone Masons: The Builders Who Shaped an Empire
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the remarkable stone masonry of Great Zimbabwe, focusing on the skilled builders who crafted the iconic walls and…