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Granite quarrying at Great Zimbabwe; linseed oil darkened Pomongwe paintings
At Great Zimbabwe, a mason’s 2021 account describes fire-splitting granite for dry-stone walls. At Pomongwe Cave in the Matobo Hills, UNESCO records another intervention: 1920s linseed-oil experiments darkened the paintings.
At a glance
- Fire-setting in a 2021 interview
- A veteran mason described lining firewood along granite cracks, heating the stone, then using a hammer lightly to break it into pieces.[1]
- Pomongwe paintings
- UNESCO attributes their darkening to 1920s experiments using linseed oil as a preservative.[2]
- Wall dimensions at Great Zimbabwe
- Heights of 1 to 12 m and widths of 1 to 5 m, according to Sagiya.[1]
A place worth remembering
Great Zimbabwe: splitting granite for dry-stone walls
Sagiya describes the freestanding walls as having orderly stone courses on two outer faces, with stones of less regular shapes filling the core. A 2021 field interview records a mason choosing cracked granite, lining firewood to match the intended block size, and heating the stone until it splits.[1]
Pomongwe: a preservative that darkened paintings
UNESCO attributes the darkened images at Pomongwe Cave to tests of a linseed-oil treatment in the 1920s.[2]
How high the dry-stone walls rise
Sagiya reports that Great Zimbabwe’s dry-stone walls are built from biotite granite, quarried from bedrock outcrops in the surrounding area. They range from 1 to 12 m in height and from 1 to 5 m in width, and freestanding walls predominate.[1]
Good to know
A few clear answers before you explore.
How did a mason describe splitting granite at Great Zimbabwe?
In field notes from 2021, a veteran mason says he matched the firewood to a block’s intended size, heated cracked granite, then used a hammer lightly to break the stone into pieces.[1]
How does UNESCO explain the darkened Pomongwe paintings?
UNESCO links their appearance to linseed-oil preservation experiments in the 1920s.[2]
How large are the walls of Great Zimbabwe?
Sagiya gives heights of 1 to 12 m and widths of 1 to 5 m, with freestanding walls predominating.[1]
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