A new LiDAR survey across the southern Zimbabwe plateau has identified a series of previously unknown stone-lined pathways leading to massive circular earthworks. These sites appear to be precisely aligned with the rise of the full moon during the autumn equinox, pointing to a sophisticated regional network used for ancient celestial festivals.
Excavations at the focal points of these earthworks have yielded 'hematite-dusted' pottery and animal remains consistent with ritual feasting. This discovery suggests that the ancestors of the Shona people maintained a complex calendar of lunar celebrations that predates the construction of Great Zimbabwe's most famous stone towers by several centuries.