Africa Ch 8 African Civilizations 1500 BCE 700
Africa Ch. 8 – African Civilizations (1500 BCE – 700 CE) & Ch. 15 – Societies & Empires of Africa (800 -1500 CE)
Ch. 8 - African Civilizations (1500 BCE- 700 CE) African Civilizations: • African cultures adapt to harsh environments, spread through major migrations, and establish powerful kingdoms. 8. 1 - Diverse Societies in Africa 8. 2 – Migration Case Study: Bantu Speaking Peoples 8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum
8. 1 - Diverse Societies in Africa: African peoples develop diverse societies as they adapt to varied environments. 1. A Land of Geographic Contrasts: A. Geography of Africa 1) Large continent but coastline has few ports, harbors, or inlets B. Challenging Environments 1) Africa has many deserts, including huge Sahara 2) The southern edge of the expanding Sahara is called the Sahel 3) Rainforests found near central part of continent • Tsetse fly (TSET-see) – carries disease that is deadly to livestock; causes fatal sleeping sickness in humans C. Welcoming Lands 1. Northern coast and southern tip of Africa have Mediterranean climates 2. Savannas, or grasslands, cover almost half of Africa
What are you going to be for Halloween? A tsetse fly
8. 1 - Diverse Societies in Africa 2. Early Humans Adapt to Their Environments: A. Nomadic Lifestyle 1) Earliest people are nomadic hunter-gatherers • San of the Kalahari Desert • Ba. Mbuti of rainforests of Congo 2) Herders drive animals to find water, graze pastures • Herders = pastoralist – pastoral herders • Masai of Tanzania & South Kenya B. Transition to Settled Life 1) Agriculture probably develops by 6000 B. C. 2) As the Sahara dried up, farmers move to West Africa or Nile Valley 3) Agriculture allows permanent settlement, governments to develop
8. 1 - Diverse Societies in Africa 3. Early Societies in Africa: A. Societies Organized by Family Groups: 1) Extended families made up of several generations (grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins, etc. ) • Basic social unit = family 2) Families with common ancestors form groups known as clans (groups w/shared ancestry) B. Local Religions: 1) Early religions usually include elements of animism —belief in spirits • Animists believe that spirits are present in animals, plants, and other natural forces, and also take the form of souls of their ancestors C. Keeping History: 1) Few African societies have written languages 2) History, literature, culture passed on by storytellers called griots 3) Cultures in West Africa are advanced long before outsiders arrive
8. 1 - Diverse Societies in Africa 4. West African Iron Age: A. Learning About the Past: 1) Artifacts reveal how people lived in the past 2) Evidence of sub-Saharan cultures producing iron around 500 B. C. • Slag – a waste product of iron smelting B. The Nok Culture: 1) Nok —West Africa’s earliest known culture—made iron tools, iron weapons • Modern day Nigeria • Farmed • Must have mined nearby iron b/c they learned smelting to make iron tools for farming and iron weapons for hunting • 1 st West African people known to smelt iron C. Djenné-Djeno (jeh-NAY jeh-NOH) (CITY): https: //youtu. be/g. Nysdb 7 D-l. Q 1) From 600– 200 B. C. , cities begin to develop near rivers, oases 2) Djenné-Djeno —Africa’s oldest known city South of Sahara (250 B. C. ), discovered in 1977 • Niger River, West Africa • Abandoned around 1400 • Fished in Niger River; herded cattle; raised rice on fertile flood plains • Iron Smelting 3) Bustling trade center; linked West African towns: camel trade routes & on the Niger River
8. 1 - Diverse Societies in Africa 8. 1 Review: 1) The sahel is the southern “coastline” of the ______. 2) Africa’s savannahs, which make up approximately 40% of the continent are ____________. 3) The tsetse fly live in the rainforests, as do the Ba. Mbuti of Congo, the rainforests are located in the _____-_____ region of Africa. 4) The way of life for Africa’s earliest people, was _____ -_____. 5) West Africa’s earliest known culture was the _______. 6) A main belief of the followers of _____ is that spirits play an important role in regulating daily life. 7) The oldest known city Africa south of the Sahara is _____-_______. 8) What is unusual about the West African Iron Age, is that it did not go through a _______ or _____ Age. 9) A historian has a similar role to the role of a _____ in West African society.
• • • 1. Sahara desert 2. grassy plains 3. west-central region 4. hunter-gatherers 5. Nok 6. Animism 7. Djenne-Djeno 8. Copper or Bronze Age 9. griot 8. 1 Review Answers
8. 1 - Diverse Societies in Africa 8. 1 Discussion: 1) Identifying Problems: What were 2 environmental challenges faced by the early African peoples, and how did they meet these challenges? Think About: • Climate • Soil • Farming Hint: • Look at the Guided Reading Worksheet 8. 1
8. 1 - Diverse Societies in Africa 8. 1 Discussion: 1) Identifying Problems: What were 2 environmental challenges faced by the early African peoples, and how did they meet these challenges? • The desert and desertification of the savannas were one problem. Ø The desert is extremely hot and dry and not suitable for growing crops, so the people learned to survive as hunter-gatherers and learned how to harvest salt. Ø When desertification dried up land, people migrated to find areas more suitable to agriculture. • In the rain forests, which do not get direct sunlight to support agriculture easily… Ø Some peoples learned to survive as nomadic hunters and gatherers, Ø While others learned to grow root crops (ex: yams!) that needed little sun, or to Ø Farm along the rivers where there was more sun. • On hilly land, the Aksumites developed terrace farming and built canals and cisterns to trap water for agriculture.
8. 1 - Diverse Societies in Africa 8. 1 Discussion: 2) Comparing: What were the similarities b/w the earliest known culture of Nok and the residents of Djenne-Djeno? Think About: • Skills & technology • Way of life • Artifacts found Hint: • Look at the Guided Reading Worksheet 8. 1
8. 1 - Diverse Societies in Africa 8. 1 Discussion: 2) Comparing: What were the similarities b/w the earliest known culture of Nok and the residents of Djenne-Djeno? • Skills & Technology: ØBoth also discovered how to smelt iron, though the Nok developed the technology about 300 years before the residents of Djenné-Djeno developed it. • Way of Life: ØBoth the Nok and the residents of Djenné-Djeno were farmers. • Artifacts Found: ØThe artifacts (iron tools & weapons) found in these two places suggest that the Nok may have settled in Djenné-Djeno at one time.
8. 2 - Migration Case Study: Bantu Speaking Peoples: Bantu Dynasty: 1500 BCE – 500 CE • Major Accomplishments: • known as the cultural hearth (origin) for sub-Saharan Africa, • The Bantu migrated toward the east then the south and carried their language which is one of the roots of Swahili into all of sub-Saharan Africa. • They also brought the technology and knowledge necessary to make iron into southern Africa. • Bantu Migration Video: https: //youtu. be/kx. KGKARk 774
8. 2 - Migration Case Study: Bantu Speaking Peoples: Bantu Dynasty: 1500 BCE – 500 CE • The Bantu: § Originated in central western Africa (Nigeria) § Drought and over population forced them to migrate east and south. (migrated SOUTH & SOUTHEAST) § Bantu language is basis for Swahili African languages today all over sub-Saharan Africa § Spread iron technology to Sub-Sahara § Cattle is the basis for their wealth § Semi-nomadic § rarely build large cities § Djenne-Djeno (Jeh-NAY Jeh-NOH) is 1 st city of any size
8. 2 - Migration Case Study: Bantu Speaking Peoples: Relocation of large numbers of Bantu-speaking people brings cultural diffusion and change to southern Africa. 1. People on the Move: A. Migration 1) Migration —permanent move to new place; a pattern in human culture B. Causes of Migration i. Environmental – strongest factor with early human life ii. Economic – employment or lack there of iii. Political – freedom, or persecution 1) Push-pull factors —Conditions that push people out of an area or pull them in • Push & pull factors are reasons for migration • Push Factors – push people out of an area Ø Ex: Environmental Push Factor: depletion of natural resources forcing people away from a location • Pull Factors – pull people to an area Ø Ex: Environmental Pull Factor: abundant land that attracts people Ø Ex: Urbanization – job opportunities (economic) & benefits
8. 2 - Migration Case Study: Bantu Speaking Peoples Migration: Push-Pull Factors:
(Migration: Push-Pull Factors): • Syria – refugees trying to escape war (push factor) • Just because it isn’t happening here, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. ØSave the Children - https: //youtu. be/f. SIp. ARmq 2 WI ØSave the Children- 2 - https: //youtu. be/n. KDg. FCoji. T 8
Connect with Today: (Migration: Push-Pull Factors): Push Factors’: Syria Israel • For Syrians and Eritreans on the move, the situation at home is the key reason for flight. In Syria, there are immediate threats to life, regardless of which side of the conflict you are on. In Eritrea, an oppressive military regime and a lifeless economy force several thousand to walk across its land borders every month. Ruthless and indiscriminate conscription waves can also augment departures, as can changes in border surveillance, including the reported end to the notorious ‘shoot to kill’ policy. • Conditions in neighboring countries of transit, such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Israel, Egypt or Libya, can have the greatest influence on whether migrants and refugees stay put. The fencing of Israel’s border in 2012 -13 and destructive military raids in the Sinai Peninsula have severely dampened the trafficking of Eritreans through Egypt into Israel and opened up an alternative smuggling route via Khartoum to Libya. In Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan, so called ‘encampment policies’ restrict the free movement of refugees to certain parts of the country with limited access to services, work or education, and consequently many are dissuaded from settling down. • In Egypt, after the removal from power of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013, there has been a series of attacks on Syrian refugees in Egypt, accused of siding with the now banned Muslim Brotherhood. At the time I was working for a legal aid NGO in Cairo and I saw how quickly the hospitality towards Syrians turned into street violence and arbitrary detention, forcing thousands of Syrians, who had only just begun to call Egypt home, to board boats all along Egypt’s Northern Coast and try their luck at Europe instead. Factional fighting in Libya this past year has also sparked a surge in boat departures. Eritrea
Connect with Today: (Migration: Push-Pull Factors): ‘Pull Factors’: Syria Israel • Certainly Mare Nostrum may have played its part in giving smugglers the confidence to clear a backlog of persons waiting to make the dangerous Mediterranean crossing, but given most young Eritreans I meet tell me they will ‘die trying’, it is not the only reason for the rise in numbers last year. • Other unreported pull factors, emerging in recent years, fail to receive the attention they deserve in news reports or policy approaches to irregular South-North movement. Mass media has emphasized social and political inequalities, as BBC and Facebook now reach even the most remote African villages. Social networking connects the Eritrean child with his cousin in the Netherlands, and then again with potential smugglers, gaining precious information on the best migration routes, incumbent risks and the cost involved in advance. Ideas of ‘Europe’ proliferate the refugee camps. Boys swagger past me in Manchester United and Chelsea t-shirts calling one another ‘Rooney’ or ‘Beckham’, and I catch myself humming to the sound of a well-known Rihanna song blasting from a girl’s mobile phone as I stroll through a camp market in Sudan – unsurprised that 80 per cent of all asylum seekers and refugees will leave within three months of their arrival. Eritrea
8. 2 - Migration Case Study: Bantu Speaking Peoples (People on the Move): C. Effects of Migration 1) Brings diverse cultures into contact, 2) Blending of cultures 3) Changes life in the new land; 4) Redistribution of world’s population 5) shifts in population 6) Dislocation and oppression of peoples (Political/religious) 7) Spread of ideas and religions (Political/religious) D. Tracing Migration Through Language: 1) One way to trace migration is to study how languages spread 2) Africa has many complex language families
8. 2 - Migration Case Study: Bantu Speaking Peoples 2. Massive Migrations: A. Bantu-Speaking Peoples: 1) Bantu-speaking peoples —early Africans who spread culture and language 2) Originally lived in savanna south of Sahara; now southeastern Nigeria 3) The word Bantu means “the people” B. Migration Begins: 1) Bantu speakers migrate south and east starting about 3000 B. C. 2) Live by slash-and-burn farming, nomadic herding 3) Share skills, learn new customs, adapt to environment
8. 2 - Migration Case Study: Bantu Speaking Peoples (Massive Migrations): C. Causes of Migration 1) Bantu speakers move to find farmland, flee growing Sahara 2) Need iron ore resources and hardwood forests for iron smelting 3) Within 1, 500 years they reach southern tip of Africa D. Effects of Migration: 1) Bantu speakers drive out some inhabitants: in territorial wars, , the newcomers (Bantu), with their superior weapons (iron), drove out the non-Bantu speaking peoples 2) Intermix with others: exchanged ideas with & intermarried with them 3) Bantu migrations produce a great variety of cultures: intermingling created new cultures w/unique customs & traditions 4) Language helps unify the continent/AFRICA: B/c of Bantu-migrations, today there at least 60 million people who speak one of the Bantu languages • Ex: “bantu knots” – modern hair style • Ex: “Ghana braids” -
8. 2 - Migration Case Study: Bantu Speaking Peoples 8. 2 Review: 1) The main directions of the migrations of the Bantu-speaking peoples were ______ or _______. 2) Bantu means “ __________”. 3) ____-______ are reasons for migration. 4) It is believed that the _____ migrations were prompted by the need for more land a growing population. 5) One way that historians trace the patterns of migrations is through the pattern of the _______ spoken. 6) The Bantu-speaking people migrated south from the region near the southern border of the ________ (sometimes called the sahel). 7) As a result of the migrations of the Bantu-speaking peoples, there are 60 million African people who speak one of the _____ languages.
• 1. South or Southeast • 2. “the people” • 3. Push-pull factors • 4. Bantu • 5. languages • 6. Sahara • 7. Bantu 8. 2 Review Answers
8. 2 - Migration Case Study: Bantu Speaking Peoples 8. 2 Discussion: 1) Drawing Conclusions: Why did the Bantu-speaking peoples continue their migrations instead of locating in a particular region and staying there? Think About: • Development of agriculture • Lack of land
8. 2 - Migration Case Study: Bantu Speaking Peoples 8. 2 Discussion: 1) Drawing Conclusions: Why did the Bantu-speaking peoples continue their migrations instead of locating in a particular region and staying there? • Development of Agriculture: ØOnce the Bantu-speaking peoples developed agriculture, they were able to produce more food than they could by hunting and gathering. As a result, the population in West Africa increased. • Lack of Land: ØBecause this enlarged population required more food, the earliest Bantu-speaking people planted more land, and soon there wasn't enough land to go around. They couldn't go north in search of land because the area was densely populated and the Sahara was advancing toward them, so the people moved southward. They continued to move southward as the population increased and they ran out of land to plant in the recently settled regions.
Reminder: Kingdom of Kush: • East African Kingdom • Powerful, pushed North & conquered Egypt, • Assyrians came into Egypt and drove Kushite pharaohs south! • Kush was powerful for over 1000 years, until a new powerful kingdom arose and conquered Kush…. . The Kingdom of Aksum!
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum 8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum: The kingdom of Aksum becomes an international trading power and adopts Christianity. Setting the Stage: • Migrations: Arab people crossed the Red Sea into Africa – early as 1000 BCE • Arabs intermarried w/ Kushite herders & farmers passed along their written language, Ge’ez (GEE-ehz) • The Aksum civilization probably began as a blend of two cultures: Arab peoples & Kushites! • Arabs shared their skills: working stone, building dams & aqueducts • Blended group of Africans (Kushites) & Arabs Kingdom of Aksum
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum 8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum: The kingdom of Aksum becomes an international trading power and adopts Christianity. 1. The Rise of the Kingdom of Aksum: A. Aksum’s Geography: 1) Aksum —kingdom replaces Kush in East Africa; blend of Africans, Arabs 2) Located on Horn of Africa, modern day Ethiopia and Eritrea 3) Trading kingdom linking Africa and Indian Ocean trade routes
Connect with Today: (Trade Routes/ Indian Ocean Trade): Today’s Trade Routes (May) (Monsoon Winds head NE) www. shipmap. org
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum (The Rise of the Kingdom of Aksum): B. The Origins of Aksum: 1) Land first mentioned in Greek guidebook in A. D. 100, Periplus of the Erythraean Sea • Describes Zoskales (ZAH-kuh-leez)- 1 st king of Aksum 2) Founding of kingdom of Aksum & Ethiopian royal dynasty, (Dynasty of Aksum): traced back to King Solomon (of ancient Israel) and Queen of Sheba (a country in southern Arabia) it lasted through the 20 th century, until 1975!! 3) Rulers take control of areas around Blue Nile and Red Sea, and crossed the Red Sea and took control of lands on SW Arabian Peninsula 4) Dynasty of Aksum rules until 1975; ends with death of Haile Selassie (last ruler of Dynasty of Aksum)
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum • Aksum had access to the Red Sea, Blue Nile, & White Nile. • Aksum’s location and expansion made it an important trading center.
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum • The land of Aksum was hilly. • Aksumites created terrace farming, which retained water and prevented erosion.
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum: (The Rise of Kingdom of Aksum): C. Aksum Controls International Trade: 1) Aksum is hub for caravan routes to Egypt and Meroë 2) Adulis (city), center of trade, chief port, has access to Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean • The city of Adulis attracted foreigners because it was the CENTER OF TRADE!
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum: (The Rise of Kingdom of Aksum): D. A Strong Ruler Expands the Kingdom: 1. One Bantu King Ezana —strong ruler of Aksum from A. D. 325 to 360 2. He conquers part of Arabian peninsula, now Yemen 3. In 350 conquers Kushites and burns Meroë to ground
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum • The port city of Adulis included people from Aksum’s trading partners. • Merchants exchanged raw materials, goods, and ideas. • Among the ideas: the idea of Christianity.
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum: 2. An International Culture Develops: A. Aksum Culture: 1) Blended cultural traditions of Arab peoples and Kushites 2) Adulis population: Egyptian, Arabian, Greek, Roman, Persian, Indian 3) Greek is international language; Aksumites trade GOLD to Rome B. Aksumite Religion (Before King Ezana converted to Christianity): 1) Believe in one god, Mahrem, and that king descended from him 2) Are animists — worship spirits of nature and ancestors 3) Exposed to Christianity by traders
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum: (An International Culture Develops): C. Aksum Becomes Christian: 1) Young King Ezana educated by Christian man from Syria 2) As ruler, Ezana declares Christianity as kingdom’s official religion 3) Aksum, now part of Ethiopia, still home to millions of Christians D. Aksumite Innovations: 1) Written language, minted coins, irrigation canals and dams 2) Aksumites invent terrace farming due to hilly location 3) Terraces —step like ridges constructed on mountain slopes
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum: 3. The Fall of Aksum: The conflict b/w the Christian Aksumites and Islamic Invaders contributed to the fall of Aksum. A. Islam: 1) Aksum kingdom lasts 800 years; witnesses rise of Islam religion 2) Followers of prophet Muhammad conquer all of Arabia by 632
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum: (The Fall of Aksum): B. Islamic Invaders: 1) Between A. D. 632 and 710, Islamic invaders leave Aksum alone 2) In A. D. 710, they attack port city of Adulis, causing Aksum’s decline
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum • Islamic invaders seized footholds in Africa, destroyed Adulis, and spread the religion of Islam The conquest of the Islamic invaders: • cut Aksum off from its major ports • the kingdom declined as an international trading power. • The spread of Islam isolated Aksum form other Christian settlements.
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum: (The Fall of Aksum): C. Aksum Isolated: 1) As Islam spreads, Aksum rulers move capital to northern Ethiopia 2) Isolation, soil erosion, deforestation cause loss of remaining power Aksum’s Decline & Fall: • It became isolated form other Christian states • It became unable to maintain its trade • It depleted its environment
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum To escape the Muslims, Aksum’s leaders moved their capital to an isolated area over the mountains. • Aksum’s new geographic location led to its decline as a power.
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum: Lasting Legacies of Aksum: • Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity • Stone architecture • http: //www. atlasobscura. com/places/aksum-obelisks • Terrace farming
REVIEW: 8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum v. Aksum: an important African kingdom that developed in what is now Ethiopia and Eritrea v. Adulis: The chief seaport (city) of Aksum v. Ezana: strong leader who occupied Aksumite throne b/w 325 – 360 CE
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum: 8. 3 Review: 1) The city that was the center of trade for Aksum was _______. 2) King Ezana of Aksum established _____ as the kingdom’s official religion during his reign. 3) The conflict b/w ______ Aksumites & _____ invaders contributed to the fall of Aksum. 4) The major reason that the city of Adulis attracted foreigners was because it was the center of _____.
• 1. Adulis • 2. Christianity • 3. Christian Aksumites & Islamic Invaders • 4. trade 8. 3 Review Answers
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum: 8. 3 Discussion: 1) Drawing Conclusions: What were some of the main achievements of the Aksumites and how did these achievements enable Aksum to last 800 years? Think About: • Center of trade • Advances in technology • Expansion of culture
8. 3 - The Kingdom of Aksum: 8. 3 Discussion: 1) Drawing Conclusions: What were some of the main achievements of the Aksumites and how did these achievements enable Aksum to last 800 years? • Center of Trade & Expansion of Culture: Ø Aksum seized nearby areas and spread its culture. It built and controlled an important international trade center and attracted people from all over the world, making it very cosmopolitan. Ø It established Christianity throughout Aksum, which was a lasting achievement. • Advances in Technology: Ø It developed a unique architecture that used stone instead of mud bricks. Ø It was one of the only ancient African kingdom known to have developed a written language, and it was the first state south of the Sahara to mint its own coins. Ø It also adapted to its hilly environment by creating a new method of agriculture called terrace farming. This enabled it to greatly increase the productivity of the land. Ø Aksumites also dug canal to channel water from mountain streams into fields and built dams to store water. Ø All of these cultural and technological achievements allowed Aksum to last for 800 years, and it left a lasting legacy with its religion, architecture, and agriculture.
Ch. 8 Review: Chapter Discussion: 1. Hypothesizing: Why might anthropologists have more details available about the history of the Aksumites than they have about the history of the Bantu-speaking peoples? • The Aksumites were located in a specific area while the Bantu-speaking peoples migrated over long distances. • The Bantu-speaking peoples were many different peoples, unified as a group by the similarities in their languages. As a result, they have many different histories. • The Aksumites had a written language and left written records; the Bantu-speaking peoples had only oral traditions. • The Aksumites also engaged in heavy trade, so they were visited by people of other cultures who then made references to the Aksumites in their own records.
Ch. 8 Review: Chapter Discussion: 1. Synthesizing: How does Africa’s early history demonstrate trade among African regions and b/w Africa and the world? • Djenné-Djeno was the oldest city south of the Sahara, and at its height, it had 50, 000 residents who exchanged their fish, rice, and pottery for gold, copper, and salt. The city was on the Niger river, so the residents were able to use the river to link to other towns along the river. The residents also used overland camel routes. • Aksum was another town that became a bustling trade center. Its location and expansion into surrounding regions made it a logical place for trade. It had miles of coastline and ports on the Red Sea, which gave it influence over the sea trade on the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean. It was also a hub for caravan routes to Egypt and Meroë. Traders from Egypt, Arabia, Persia, India, and the Roman Empire crowded in Adulis.
The End.
Ch. 15 - Societies & Empires of Africa (800 - 1500 CE) Societies & Empires in Africa: • African cultures adapt to harsh environments, spread through major migrations, and establish powerful kingdoms. 15. 1 – North & Central African Societies 15. 2 – West African Civilization 15. 3 - Eastern City-States & Southern Empires
- Slides: 60
