Mutapa Empire

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/mutapa-empire

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the location?Primarily southeastern Zimbabwe and northern Mozambique, centered around the Zambezi River
2. What is the period of dominance?Flourished from the 15th to the 17th centuries
3. What was the Mutapa Empire and when did it start?The Mutapa Empire was a powerful African kingdom that began in the early 1400s after the Great Zimbabwe kingdom fell. It was built in the gold-rich Zambezi Valley.
4. Why was gold so important to the Mutapa Empire?Gold was the main source of wealth for the Mutapa Empire. They mined gold and traded it with people from the East African coast, bringing in fancy goods like glass beads and textiles.

Dry-stone masonry: A construction method where stones are fitted together without mortar, relying on precise cutting and placement for stability.
Swahili merchants: Traders from the Swahili coast of East Africa, who engaged in extensive maritime trade across the Indian Ocean.
Tribute: A payment or offering made by one state or ruler to another, typically as a sign of allegiance or to secure protection.