The Great Zimbabwe controlled the Zimbabwean plateau. It was believed the land was first inhabited 1000 years prior to the Great Zimbabwe occupying the land. It was inhabited by the San. The group was very grateful to control this region as it had an abundance of natural resources. The group controlled this land for hundreds of years. The grand city has been considered a possible location of the "fabled" gold mines of King Soloman. At the peak the city contained 18,000 citizens. As mentioned earlier resources were abundant. These were resources that were very valuable such as diamonds and gold. There was also a lot of livestock wealth as conditions were perfect for breeding, feeding, and caring for their animals. For many years the grand cities construction was not credited to the Zimbabwe as they believed the construction was too advanced for an African society. Many crafts were specific to this dry area in east Africa such as beads and copper crafts. Since they were in the Serengeti they were able to skin animals and get ivory which benefitted trade. A Great Zimbabwe historian said, "The Great Zimbabwe owed much of its wealth to international trade, but it was also part of a long-term internal development, with its power based as much upon cattle wealth and military power as foreign riches." The amount of resources only lasted so long as the eventual exhaustion of resources caused the demise of the empire.