Ancient Africa 1500 B C 1500 A D
Ancient Africa 1500 B. C. – 1500 A. D.
African Geography l l Desert • • Sahara dominates northern Africa Kalahari largest desert in southern Africa • Best areas for herd animals and growing of grains • • Diverse life forms and natural resources, very difficult to travel through or live in Tsetse flies • Small region in northern Africa that supports abundant life Savanna Rainforest Mediterranean
Tsetse Fly & African Sleeping Sickness
Early Sub-Saharan African Life l l East Africa was the beginning of human life • “Lucy” • Masi and other groups still practice • • • Permanent settlements develop Animism = ? Griots = ? • Nok Culture (Niger River Valley) Nomadic herders Agriculture develops (~6, 000 B. C. ) West African Iron Age • • Trade city of Djenne-Djeno Use of Iron tools
Push-Pull Factors l l Chart page 221 3 main migration factors • Environmental • Economic • Political
Migration of the Bantu Peoples l l Trace the Bantu Migrations on your map of Africa (page 222) Where did they go? How did they adapt to each region? • • • Slash & burn Raising cattle Adopting new crops Why did they migrate? • Agriculture led to more land use and great population
Effects of Bantu Migration l l Forced interaction between different groups (Ba. Mbuti and San) • Some mixed, some left, some fought Brought new technologies to regions Brought Bantu ideas about politics and social organization Centralized language branch throughout the continent • Niger-congo languages • • 900+ different dialects and individual languages Bantu is the first language of nearly 1/3 of all Africans today
Kingdom of Aksum l South of Kush • • l Legend traces roots of Kush back to son of King solomon and Queen of Sheba Modern day Ethiopia and Eritrea International trade center (Adulis) • • Caravans to Egypt through Meroe Access to Mediterranean Sea & Indian Ocean through Red Sea • Exported: salt, ivory, emeralds, • gold Imported: cloth, glass, wine, iron, copper
Kingdom of Aksum (cont. ) l Ezana (325 – 360 A. D. ) • Peak of the empire • • Expanded territory into Arabian Peninsula (modern day Yemen) Conquered Kush Cosmopolitan Heritage • • l • Greek, Roman, Persian, Indian, and Egyptian Converted to Christianity • Made official religion for Aksum Decline &Isolation • • Islamic invaders began to cut into the empire and take-over trade routes Moved to the mountains of northern Ethiopia • Remained isolated for a few hundred years (632 – 750 AD)
The Pillars of Aksum l l Used no mortar Carved great stones together Created false doors, windows, as well as tall peaks The Pillars are often dedicated to the Christian God
West African Societies
Ghana (700 – 1076 A. D. ) l l Use of camels led to development of the trans-Sahara trade routes Gold-Salt Trade • • Empire of Ghana developed from taxing trade routes Ghana’s kings convert to Islam • • l Arab and Berber traders Gold from western Africa, salt from Sahara Led to literacy (learning to read the Qur’an) Commoners mostly did not convert 1076 – Muslim Almoravids conquered
Mali (1235 – 1400 s) l l Gold deposits east of Ghana allowed Mali empire to gain wealth and power by moving the trade routes 2 important leaders • • Sundiata – 1 st emperor (mansa) • Different than prior emperors • Peaceful • United Mali • Conquered Ghana • Led to period of peace and prosperity Mansa Musa (1312 – 1332) • • Muslim leader (Sundiata’s grandnephew Expanded empire to twice the size of Ghana (100, 000 man army) Hajj to Mecca in 1324 -1325 exposed riches of Mali to Arab peninsula New trade centers develop (Timbuktu and Gao)
Songhai (1400 s – 1500 s) l l Gained control of trade routes due to gold deposits near Niger River (Gao) 2 important leaders • Sunni Ali • • • Had a private army consisting of horse soldiers and river canoes Conquered Timbuktu (1468) & Djenne (1473, took 7 years) Military hero Askia Muhammad • • l Muslim leader Established bureaucracy and provinces Overthrew Sunni Ali’s son Spread more orthodox Islam Efficient and fair ruler Conquered by Moroccans in 1591 (guns)
East Coast Trade Cities l Islamic Influence • • • l l l Swahili language group • Mix of Bantu & Arabic City-states • Kilwa, Sofala, Mogadishu Great Zimbabwe (1200 s – 1450) – Bantu for stone enclose • • • l New trade centers on Indian Ocean after fall of Aksum Spread Muslim religion along trade routes Slave/Gold trade Shona people’s in south-eastern Africa Controlled trade routes of gold to the coast • City taxed traders Disappeared suddenly • Suspected because of arrival of Portuguese Conquest (1488)
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