and other parts of the Zimbabwe ruins ; excavation
yielded further examples of the veneration for stones
amongst the early inhabitants. One of these was a
tall decorated soapstone pillar 11 feet 6 inches in
height, which stood on the platform already alluded
DE CORATED s o a p s t o n e b e a m s
to, and acted as a centre to a group of monoliths ; the
base of this pillar we found in situ, the rest had been
broken off and appropriated by a Kaffir to decorate
a wall; it was worked with bands of geometric
patterns around it, each different from the other and
d i v i d e d in t o c o m p a r tm e n t s b y c i r c u l a r p a t t e r n s , o n e
o f w h i c h i s t h e c h e v r o n p a t t e r n f o u n d o n t h e c i r c i i l a r
r u in b e l o w ; i t o n l y r u n s r o u n d a p o r t i o n o f t h e p i lU r ;
a n d m a y p o s s i b l y h a v e b e e n u s e d t o o r i e n t i t t o w a r d s
th e s e t t in g s u n . B e s i d e s t h i s t a l l p i l l a r w e f o u n d two
fragments of other similar pillars decorated one with
geometric patterns and the other with an extraordinary
and entirely inexplicable decoration. On
these pillars the rosette is frequently depicted, and it
would seem that they all came from the same place,
namely, the platform decorated with monoliths.
M
CO LL EC T ION o f s t r a n g e s t o n e s