HSY1511
PORTFOLIO 2026
DUE DATE: 22 MAY 2026
, HSY1511 PORTFOLIO 2026
DUE 22 MAY 2026
Question 1: Great Zimbabwe and African Civilisation
Explain how the archaeological evidence of Great Zimbabwe has challenged
earlier Western interpretations of African civilisation, and how oral traditions and
anthropological studies have helped scholars reconstruct the history of Great
Zimbabwe.
The archaeological evidence from Great Zimbabwe proved that earlier Western ideas
about African civilisation were wrong. At the same time, oral traditions and
anthropological studies helped scholars rebuild the true history of this important African
achievement. For many years, European thinkers influenced by the Enlightenment
refused to believe that Africans could build such advanced stone structures. They said
that foreigners must have built Great Zimbabwe. But careful archaeology, combined
with local oral traditions and anthropology, has not only proved that Africans built it but
also made Great Zimbabwe a powerful symbol of African history and ability.
Western ideas about Great Zimbabwe were shaped by Enlightenment beliefs that linked
civilisation to skin colour. Philosophers like David Hume and Immanuel Kant argued that
black people were naturally inferior to whites. Hume said there was never a civilised
nation of any colour other than white.¹ Because of this, when the German archaeologist
Karl Mauch found Great Zimbabwe in 1871, he could not believe that Africans built it.
The study guide explains that Cecil John Rhodes and other white settlers refused to
believe Africans built Great Zimbabwe. They hired a miner named Theodore Bent to
prove that Arabs or Phoenicians built it.²
¹ Study Guide, HSY1511, "Learning Unit 2: Representations of Africa," p. 29 (referencing David Hume,
1748).
² Study Guide, "Learning Unit 2," p. 46.
PORTFOLIO 2026
DUE DATE: 22 MAY 2026
, HSY1511 PORTFOLIO 2026
DUE 22 MAY 2026
Question 1: Great Zimbabwe and African Civilisation
Explain how the archaeological evidence of Great Zimbabwe has challenged
earlier Western interpretations of African civilisation, and how oral traditions and
anthropological studies have helped scholars reconstruct the history of Great
Zimbabwe.
The archaeological evidence from Great Zimbabwe proved that earlier Western ideas
about African civilisation were wrong. At the same time, oral traditions and
anthropological studies helped scholars rebuild the true history of this important African
achievement. For many years, European thinkers influenced by the Enlightenment
refused to believe that Africans could build such advanced stone structures. They said
that foreigners must have built Great Zimbabwe. But careful archaeology, combined
with local oral traditions and anthropology, has not only proved that Africans built it but
also made Great Zimbabwe a powerful symbol of African history and ability.
Western ideas about Great Zimbabwe were shaped by Enlightenment beliefs that linked
civilisation to skin colour. Philosophers like David Hume and Immanuel Kant argued that
black people were naturally inferior to whites. Hume said there was never a civilised
nation of any colour other than white.¹ Because of this, when the German archaeologist
Karl Mauch found Great Zimbabwe in 1871, he could not believe that Africans built it.
The study guide explains that Cecil John Rhodes and other white settlers refused to
believe Africans built Great Zimbabwe. They hired a miner named Theodore Bent to
prove that Arabs or Phoenicians built it.²
¹ Study Guide, HSY1511, "Learning Unit 2: Representations of Africa," p. 29 (referencing David Hume,
1748).
² Study Guide, "Learning Unit 2," p. 46.
