ABSTRACT
The decline of Great Zimbabwe is poorly known due to limited archaeological data and vague historical sources. Environmental data indicates that Great Zimbabwe declined when climatic conditions were favourable, which may have prompted the ruling elite to make decisions that impacted on the immediate surroundings of the settlement and beyond. The shifting character of the Zimbabwe Culture 1 since the 12th century was a human response to the vagaries of the savanna environment, as well as the changing patterns of trade in the western Indian Ocean involving eastern Africa and the auriferous Zimbabwean plateau hinterland. It is within this context that the demise of Great Zimbabwe as the urban centre of a powerful political system must be understood.
