ROMANCE AMONG RUINS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 277, 27 October 1925, Page 11

ROMANCE AMONG RUINS.

INTERESTING DISCOVERY,

SLAVE BANGLES IN RHODESIA

CAPETOWN, Oct. 28. A most important and valuable archaeological discovery has been made among the wonderful terrace ruins at inyanga, Zebra Valley, Southern Rhodesia.

Mr Edward Rossitcr, who is an enthusiastic and intelligent explorer of the region in question, lias spent not a little time among these terraces, which are at least as remarkable as the Zimbabwe ruins. They consist of miles and miles of terraced walls along the slopes of a mountain range in the Inyanga district, and although they have been to some extent described as terraces' they have never been scientifically investigated with any thoroughness. , , ,

Mr Rossiter says: “I have at last been able to get down to something tangible by the discovery 10ft. deep, under alluvial soil, of an ancient urn containing fivo copper bangles. The urn on being exposed to the air crumbled to dust, i agree with the assistant curator of the Rhodesia Museum and tho Rev. Neville Jones that these bangles were probably broken from tho legs of dead slaves. They are very thick. I am presenting one to the Transvaal University. “I estimate their age at from 8000 to 10,000 years. This find is a very important one; it not only gives me a place or point at which to commence tho search for further articles, but these bangles are the only articles which have ever been discovered among tho terrace ruins. It also shows that the people wore workers in copper and probably had intercourse with some place far in the interior, as the nearest place to Inyanga where copper is known to exist is many hundreds of miles away. “The bangles are of pure copper and certainly the work of those who. knew the art of refining minerals.” Mr Alfred Frost, assistant curator and geologist of the Rhodesia Museum, Bulawayo, in a letter of thanks to the correspondent for the bangle presented to the institution, says: “You are certainly engaged on most useful and interesting work which ought to prove of some value to arcliaelogists later on when they find time and opportunity to investigate the place thoroughly.”