Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-05
RH0DESIA And THE GOLD OF 0PHIR
BIZ THEODORE w. MOVES.
Editorial Correspondence Of The Star.

mining district. extending probably from
the northwest of the Matoppos on the
south toward Shiloh on the north, and
from the headwaters of the Gwaai on the
west toward Essex Vale on the east In
which district there is no other capital
town. though there are numerous ruins
of minor impo' lance lying around khaml
would serve as a center for worship and
for business. Probably the gold won
within this area was brought to Khami.
as II is only at khami that there are
evidences within this district Of gold.
smelling ope atoms having been carried
on. The traces of gold-smelting at
khami are distinct. especially at No.
ruin.
There are evidences In the many large
buildings and in the numerous minor
have carried an exceedingly large pop
ulation. The debris heaps outside the
various ruins are enormous. 1t is high }
probably that the general body Of the
these ruins. an signs OF their having
been occupied are plentiful.
khamf ruins are. SO far, practical v
UNEMPLOYED. The temple Is still buried
under the present floors. The original
floors Of the builders OF these ruins, un-
less destroyed by later occupiers. are not
opened out. nor are the floors on which
the goId-smelting furnaces will'probably
be found"
The most interesting of the Khan
ruins to me. In inverse order of their at
traction. were: Cd The sroup Of hill fort
ruins numbered one to four. especially
number one, with its three terraces ris.
Ing one above another on kopje slopin
precipitous'y to the river bank. These
structures commanded as forts an as
cending defi.e climbing the hill from the
south. the only means of approach. The
sides of the forts toward the river wer,
defended by nature. and were impreg
nable. The walls of the forts were deco
rated with The check pattern, and in on,
case with tiles Of diori.e AT depth IL
one OF the ruins were found cold crucible.
and gold ornaments. indicating an an
cient gold srleter. Gold beads and iror
articles OF very old native make hav,
been found here. (2) Ruin No. g. an ar.
tstic structure In which the walls wer,
well built of dressed granite blocks. Sc
'ected for size with rounded buttresse.
Indicating antiquity at all entrances
with sunken buried passage with wall
OF good workmanship eight or nine fee
below the present surface, and with wa
decorations of both the herrinsbone ant
check patterns. At a depth Of sever
feet gold articles and nuggets of til
have been excavated here; also Persian
pottery and Nankin china. This ruiz
occupies the top o. little knoll, com
manded by two adjacent hills. a Location
suitable for temp and not for fort
but no objects suggesting that this is thu
size of a temple have yet been excavated
90 Last and best Of all is No. .. which
is an impressive hill fort. protected OF
khami river. and on the other by {
we'll built massive wall. 200 feet long ant
about 81 feet high, decorated with checl
pattern a'ong Its entire length. This hi
fort Is. of course, small in area and sim
pie in design compared with the wonder
f,y1 1fa NJ Ity,,yN hyya h.Y
not thus compared. and examined TO
itself alone, 1t Is an impressive and in
teresting ruin.
The dense populations Of diverse PEG
pies and tribes which have successivel.
occupied the Khami region have for year.
including the steinbok. k'ipspringer ant
duiker. rock rabbits. leopards, tirer-cats
balloons and pythons. During our visit
however. Khami seemed deserted entirel,
by animal life. We saw nothing except
in looking across the river from tn
cliff of No. ruin, solemn procession
OF great balloons. on the rocks anon,
he trees.
What is said Of Khami in 1.-THE Ancien
Cities Of Rhodesia" indicates that i
Zimbabwe architecture. that its orisina
builders were of the same era as thu
builders Of the Great Zimbabwe, and tina
It's temple is buried under the floors tina
have been superimpoSed, and awaits ex
cavation.
Speculation Concerning Khami.
In his later writings. however, r. "
Hall seems to think the Khami temple /.
not buried, but non-existent. He consid
ers the khami ruins as representing forts
and strongholds for gold and grain, ant
not as temples or dwellings He thinks the
original builders were not the prehistoric
Asiatics who worked the rock mines and
later built the temple at Great Zimbabwe
but Bantu African negroid people. OF
whose aborigine culture had been grated
in decadent form the perfected Tim.
babwe culture and he dates the earlies,
khami structures just prior to 915 AID.
instead Of 1900 Be, when many mil.
lions of gold were taken from the rock
mines by the Asiat.cs who afterward
built the Great Zimbabwe temple.
IL future excavations do not alter the
1evelations Of the past of Khami. the sug-
gestion OF a later date of construc-
ton for these structures than for Zim-
babwe will be most plausible.
Khami at the present stage of excava-
ton lacks Zimbabwe's complicated plan
Of structure. concal towers, massive
pu. pit platform, elaborate drainage sys-
tenn. intricate passages. huge monolths
carved stone birds on tall stylae phalli
carved rosetted cylinders (or lingae) and
huge soapstone basins. carved with ami
mails, fora and 70 eign designs. Al
Khami there is. either in structure OF
relic, absolutely no evidence of the nature
worship ceremonial. which is such char
acteristic feature of the Zimbabwe tenn
pie.
But the original walls at Khami and
the objects excavated there have their
close parallels in the work and relics OF
the people who occupied Zimbabwe after
the departure of the original builders. and
who initiated in mining and stone-build-
ing the methods of the ancients. with a
success decreasing steadily from genera
ton to generation.
AS matters stand at present II Is only
In the rock mines themselves and In the
temple at Great Zimbabwe that con
elusive evidence is furnished of the re-
mote antiquity Of the original gold min
written history Of South Africa C815 AID.
work on the rock mines had ceased TO
centuries. Nothing but alluvial washins'
supplied the natives with gold. But the
rock mines already uncovered show on
the testimony of experts that more than
i've hundred million dollars worth o
gold has been extracted from them. A
what era and through what peoples Is
there trace OF the addition of such an
amount to the worlds stock Of god
Not since the opening Of the Christian
era or In historic times.
Rhodesian Gold Of Ophir.
A few archeo'oeists have contendet
that Rhodesia was the land of Ophir. re
fcrred to in the Scriptures in connection
with the gold supply OF Solomon and ths
Queen of Sheba variation of this con
tention which commends itself most to