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The Zimbabwe Craton is an area in Southern Africa of ancient continental crust, being a part of the ancient continent of Western Gondwana, with rocks dating back to the early Archean Eon, possibly as early as 3.46 billion years ago (Ga.). The craton is named after the country of Zimbabwe where the majority of the craton is located. The rocks of the Zimbabwe Craton are separated from the rocks of the Kaapvaal Craton to the southeast by the 250km wide Limpopo Belt of granulitefaciestectonites. The Limpopo belt formed contemporaneously with the Zimbabwe and Kaapvaal cratons, but remained geologically active until much later. It was only in the late Archean, ca. 2.8-2.5Ga., that the two cratons were stabilized together and that high-grade metamorphism ceased in the Limpopo Belt. North of the Zimbabwe Craton is the Zambezi Belt.
The Zimbabwe Craton formed from the suture of two smaller blocks, the Tokwe Segment to the south and the much smaller Rhodesdale Segment (aka Rhodesdale gneiss), to the north. The rocks of these segments have been dated to as early as 3.46Ga. The Tokwe Segment probably stabilzed about 3.3Ga., and there is evidence that the Rhodesdale Segment stabilzed about the same time.<ref name=Dirks-2002">Dirks, P. H. G. M. and Jesma, H. A. (2002). "Crust–mantle decoupling and the growth of the Archaean Zimbabwe Craton". Journal of African Earth Sciences34: 157–166. doi:10.1016/s0899-5362(02)00015-5.</ref>
Great Zimbabwe is a ruined city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe near Lake Mutirikwe and the town of Masvingo. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the country's Late Iron Age. Construction on the monument by ancestors of the Shona people began in the 11th century and continued until the 15th century, spanning an area of 722 hectares (1,780 acres) which, at its peak, could have housed up to 18,000 people. It is recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Great Zimbabwe served as a royal palace for the Zimbabwean monarch and would have been used as the seat of political power. One of its most prominent features were the walls, some of which were over five metres high and which were constructed without mortar. Eventually the city was abandoned and fell into ruin.
The earliest known written mention of the ruins was in 1531 by Vicente Pegado, captain of the Portuguese garrison of Sofala, who recorded it as Symbaoe. The first European visit may have been made by the Portuguese traveler António Fernandes in 1513-1515, who crossed twice and reported in detail the region of present-day Zimbabwe (including the Shona kingdoms) and also fortified centers in stone without mortar. However, passing en route a few miles north and about 35 miles south of the site, he did not make a reference to the Great Zimbabwe riddle.