Karl Mauch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karl Gottlieb Mauch
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| Born | 7 May 1837 Stetten im Remstal, Württemberg
(modern-day Germany) |
| Died | 4 April 1875 (aged 37) |
| Known for | Documenting the Great Zimbabwe ruins |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Explorer |
Karl Gottlieb Mauch (born May 7, 1837 – died April 4, 1875) was a German explorer and geographer. He explored parts of Africa. He is best known for reporting on the ancient ruins of Great Zimbabwe in 1871. He was searching for the legendary biblical land of Ophir.
Karl Mauch's African Adventures
In 1871, Karl Mauch arrived at the amazing stone ruins now called Great Zimbabwe. This was five years after he found the first gold mines in the Transvaal region. Mauch believed these ruins were the remains of the lost biblical city of Ophir. The Bible says Ophir was the source of the gold given by the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon.
Mauch did not believe that the local people living in the area could have built such grand structures. He thought they must have been built by an older, different group. He continued his research based on this idea. However, later studies of the site, including using airplanes for archaeology, showed that these structures were indeed built by African people.
During the 1800s, many people had a way of thinking called ethnocentrism. This means they thought their own culture was better than others. Because of this, Mauch and others at the time have been criticized by today's archaeologists. Modern research shows that the Great Zimbabwe site was built by the ancestors of the Shona people. They built it between the 11th and 15th centuries CE.
Mauch died after falling from a hotel window. It is not known if it was an accident or if he jumped.
Mauch in Popular Culture
Karl Mauch's life and his search for the famous mines were featured in a TV show. It was an episode called "The Real King Solomon's Mines." This episode was part of the Raiders of the Lost Past series. It was also shown in North America as part of the Myth Hunters TV series.
See also
In Spanish: Karl Mauch para niños
