The origins and traditions of the people, who resided in Great Zimbabwe during the height of its influence, could date from as early as 900 ADE, when the Zhigo moved into the Limpopo Basin. They settled at Schroda by the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers near the borders of South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. They grew millet, cotton and sorghum, while herders tended cattle with and without humps, goats and sheep. Excavations at Schroda yielded many clay figurines, such as stylized humans, fantasy figures, feral and domestic fauna. Some may have had ritual significance. Beads and ivory imply trade with the east coast communities. Ca 1000 ADE the climate improved and newcomers introduced Leopard's Kopje ceramics. A number of Zhigo moved to Botswana  ca 1020 ADE and Schroda was gradually abandoned. Coevally the K2 [Bambandyanlo] settlement was established. Eventually the population of 1000-2000 people, about twice the size of Schroda, became heavily involved in trade with the east coast Swahili seaports. Initially cattle at K2 were keep in a central kraal, that was flanked by a midden.. Ca 1150 ADE  an elite group began to emerge and cattle were banished from central K2. It was largely abandoned ca 1220 ADE as Mapungubwe gained prominence. Analyses of K2 skeletons revealed that these individuals benefited from a healthy, balanced diet [M Wood, 2006].

   Elite homes at Mapungubbwe were on the slopes of a 300m long, 30m wide, sandstone hill and the leading family appear to have occupied the summit. A stone wall segregated the commoners in the valley. Deep sand obscures the hill's small, stone circles, monoliths, stone platforms, dwelling floors, stone granaries and central "royal" burials. A central female grave  had 3kg of gold ornaments [eg: rhinoceros, bowl, sceptre] Other funerary items were ceramics, metal ornaments, clay figurines, Chinese celadon, glass and shell beads [some were from India] and cowries. The population grew to more than 3000 residents. Prosperity was enhanced by trade in gold, beads, cotton, ivory and metals, which the inhabitants extracted and worked. Ca 1300 ADE at the commencement of the "little ice age" agricultural production could no longer sustain the populace and Mapungubwe was largely abandoned [ibid].

   During the latter era commodity exchange with the east coast became more diversified as local artisans gained greater expertise. As the export of ivory diminished in importance, cotton textiles, animal hides, craft products and gold acquired a greater share of the market. The local cotton "might" have been introduced from India [Huffman, 1971]. Bush people could have gathered ivory and other commodities to trade with the sedentary communities. Mapungubwe pottery was recovered in Great Zimbabwe. There were numerous pole and daga hamlets in the Limpopo Basin prior to the deterioration of the climate. On the plateau south of the Zimbabwe River there are more than 150 stone sites that "could" have affinities with the Great Zimbabwe ruins. Great Zimbabwe traditions "may" have their origins at the K2 site [Meyer, 1994]. Huffman [1996] postulated that the reduction in rainfall late in the 13th century ADE  across the Sasha-Limpopo Basin and eastern Kalahari adversely impacted on agricultural production. He contends that this change contributed to the demise of Mupungubwe as a major centre and its replacement by Great Zimbabwe. which was also subject to severe droughts [it may have hastened the process, but Greater Zimbabwe already had a strong base for further expansion].

   The Great Zimbabwe region has a relatively cool climate, lightly wooded flat lands, ample water, except during recurring droughts, and no tsetse fly problem. Core samples indicate that the site was occupied from ca 300-1900 ADE. It reached its peak during the first half of the 15th century ADE. Proximal  gold, tin, copper and iron ore deposits provided additional incentive for farmers and pastoralists to adopt a more sedentary life style [Sinclair, 1993]. The settlement covered ca 720ha and is estimated to have had "maximum" population 0f 18000 people, with a main construction phase from ca 1275-1400 ADE. The hill and adjacent valley area had a complex of stone walls over and between granite boulders. Within the valley and adjacent ridge there were numerous other enclosures. Some were liked by stone passages and walkways, that formed a large complex radiating out from the main enclosure, Many walls were capped with soapstone monoliths. Soapstone raptors with quasi-human attributes might represent divine messengers [Huffman, 1998]. These stone walls do not appear to be fortifications, they seem to have benefited the elite and separated them from the commoners [Garlake, 1973].

   The principal Elliptical or Great Enclosure has a 244 m perimeter, that is encompassed within a 10m high stone wall. About 5151m3 of granite was used to erect the enclosure. It contains a 9m high conical tower, which has a 5.5m basal diameter. It resembles a Shoni grain bin. The enclosure also contains a platform, clay cattle, soapstone human figures, a cairn of cattle bones and charcoal. Walls often shelter circular homes with daga walls and thatched roofs. Commoners had pottery, grind stones, hoes, metal bangles, and some glass beads. The hierarchy had a limited ceramic range, no grindstones, water vessels or cooking utensils. Doorways were adorned with grooved symbols [Garlake, 1978]. The functions of the enclosure have not been ascertained. Renders Ruin yielded Chinese celadon stone ware,  eastern glass, glazed Persian bowls and artifacts of gold and copper. Slag and/or furnace remains occur in Great Zimbabwe [Herbert, 1996]. Renders Ruins contained many iron items. Iron gongs could have been a status symbol. There was a mass exodus from the urban centre ca 1500 ADE, when degraded soils could not produce adequate food [Huffman, 1998]. Later Mwene Mutapa on the north Zimbabwe Plateau became the prime centre [K Robinson, 1959]. He contends that many Great Zimbabwe residents moved to Khami, where masonry techniques were enhanced [eg: functional drainage systems]. Manyikeni ca 50km from Vilcanculas Bay had an Elliptical enclosure and Great Zimbabwe type ceramics. Oral traditions imply that dissident "royalty" from Great Zimbabwe settled there ca 1400 ADE. It was initially occupied ca 1200-1300 ADE. It is tsetse fly free and links  Zimbabwe to the sea. Great Zimbabwe  was settled by the Gumanys. It owed its dominance to cattle, agriculture, natural resources, which were fully exploited ca 1299-1400 ADE, craft specialization and its strategic position  on the interior trade routes with Indian Ocean economies. It may have been a religious centre [Garlake, 1973]. Others contend that the elite had variable control over culturally related centres. There is not sufficient definitive data to establish, which of these premises is valid. However Great Zimbabwe  influenced other population centres to varying degrees over a considerable area. Their success contributed to their downfall. The large population, that their prosperity attracted, could not be feed during long term droughts.