King Solomon's Mines.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 229, 1 October 1904, Page 4

King Solomon's Mines.

EXPLORATION OF GREAT

ZIMBABWE.

Among the latest arrivals from South Africa is Mr R. N. Hall, F.R.G.S., who has recently completed two years' exploration work at Great Zimbabwe at the request of the Rhodesian Government, and also three months' examination work at the request of Mr Rhodes' trustees, in the Myanga district, which also abounds in mystery, as it contains hill forts, hill terraces, stone-lined pita and galleries, aqueducts, and other relics of some long-forgotten race. At both these centres of ancient activity he has been very busy photographing, surveying, excavating, and describing these old ruins, and he is now engaged in revising the proof sheets of his two forthcoming works, ''Great Zimbabwe" and "The Ruins of Myanga." Mr Hall informed Router's representative that his recent operations at Groat Zimbabwe had brought ihe enigma of thesu ruins very miah nearer solution. His discoveries m new and hitherto unsuspected features of ancient architecture, buried buildings, gold ornaments, and relics representing the period when I'hullic worship was practised, have been highly important. A large collection of the latter, likewise of gold, aiixi other relics have been sjecurud, The evidences that Rhodesia was the country from which King Solomon's gold was obtained are fast accumulating. The builders of the more ancient portion of these massive sind extensive ruins are believe/1 to have been the Sabaeo-Aiahians of obout 1000 8.C., who at that time were the gold purveyors of the world. No suggestion has been made that uny of the structures were erected by the Phoenicians but distinct traces of their influence are believed to have been discovered. Mr Hall's residence among the Makalanga, or "People or the Sun," of the Zimbabwe district has enabled him to secure fresh and important information of high anthropological value. He states that his life tt t Zimbabwe was an isolated one, and that ho did not see a white face for over three months at a time.