Chapter 3 Early African Societies and the Bantu

Chapter 3 Early African Societies and the Bantu Migrations Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 1

Development of Agriculture in Africa n n Sahara desert originally highly fertile region Small-scale states developed from increased agricultural productivity q Eastern Sudan n q Western Sudan after about 8000 B. C. E. n n After 9000 B. C. E. , domestication of cattle; later, permanent settlements, cultivation of sorghum After 8000 B. C. E. , cultivation of yams; later, arrival of sheep and goats, cultivation of gourds, watermelon, cotton Desiccation of the Sahara ca. 5000 B. C. E. Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 2

The Nile River Valley n n n Gradual, predictable flooding Alluvial deposits supported productive agricultural society Egypt and Nubia: “gifts of the Nile” q q As Sahara became increasingly arid, cultivators flocked to Nile valley Productivity in Egypt allowed for larger population Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 3

The Nile Valley, 3000– 2000 B. C. E. Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 4

Early Agriculture in the Nile Valley n 10, 000 B. C. E. , migrants from Red Sea hills (northern Ethiopia) q n n Introduced collection of wild grains, language roots of Coptic 5000 B. C. E. Sudanic cultivators, herders migrated to Nile River valley Adaptation to seasonal flooding of Nile through construction of dikes, waterways q Villages dotted Nile by 4000 B. C. E. Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 5

Political Organization n n As in Mesopotamia, need formal organization of public affairs Need to maintain order and organize community projects Egypt: simple, local irrigation projects Rural rather than heavily urban development Trade networks developed Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 6

The Unification of Egypt n Tradition suggests conqueror Menes unified Egyptian kingdom ca. 3100 q q q Sometimes identified with Narmer Founder of Memphis, cultural and political center of ancient Egypt Instituted divine rule of pharaohs n n n Absolute rulers Royal servants buried with them as late as 2600 B. C. E. Most powerful during Archaic Period (3100– 2660 B. C. E. ) and Old Kingdom (2660– 2160 B. C. E. ) Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 7

The Archaic Period and the Old Kingdom n n Pyramids: symbols of pharaoh’s authority and divine status Testimony to pharaohs’ ability to marshal Egypt’s resources Largest: Khufu (Cheops), 2. 3 million limestone blocks, average weight 2. 5 tons Role: burial chambers for pharaohs Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 8

Relations between Egypt and Nubia n n n Competition over Nile trade Military conflict between 3100 and 2600 B. C. E. Drove Nubians to the south q n Established kingdom of Kush, ca. 2500 B. C. E. Trade, cultural influences continued despite military conflict Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 9

The New Kingdom n Engaged in empire-building to protect against foreign invasion q n n The Hyksos Major monumental architectural projects After New Kingdom, local resistance drove Egypt out of Nubia Kingdom of Kush revived ca. 1100 B. C. E. Invasions of Kushites, Assyrians destroyed Egypt, mid-sixth century B. C. E. Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 10

Imperial Egypt, 1400 B. C. E. Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 11

The Emergence of Cities n Major cities along Nile River, especially at delta q n Nubian cities included Kerma, Napata, Meroë q n Memphis ca. 3100 B. C. E. ; Heliopolis ca. 2900 B. C. E. Located at cataracts of the Nile Well-defined social classes q q q Pharaohs to slaves Archaeological discoveries in Nubia also support class-based society Patriarchal societies, with notable exception: female pharaoh Hatshepsut (r. 1473– 1458 B. C. E. ) Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 12

Economic Specialization and Trade n n n Bronze metallurgy introduced late, with Hyksos invasion Development of iron early, ca. 900 B. C. E. Transportation and trade along Nile River q n n More difficult in Nubia due to cataracts Development of trade networks Maritime trade in Mediterranean Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 13

Early Writing in the Nile Valley n n Writing appeared at least by 3200 B. C. E. Hieroglyphs: “holy inscriptions” q q n Pictographic, with symbols for sounds, ideas Monuments, buildings, sheets of papyrus Hieroglyphs formal writing, hieratic script for everyday affairs from 2600 B. C. E. to 600 C. E. Greek alphabet adopted—demotic and Coptic scripts Meroitic writing: flexible system borrowed from hieroglyphs, represents sounds rather than ideas Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 14

The Development of Organized Religious Traditions n n Principal gods Amon and Re Religious tumult under Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten, r. 1353– 1335 B. C. E. ) q q n Introduced sole worship of sun god Aten One of world’s earliest expressions of monotheism After death of Akhenaten, traditional priests restored cult of Amon-Re to privileged status Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 15

Mummification and the Afterlife n Belief that death a transition to new existence q n Cult of Osiris q q q n First, ruling classes only; later, eternal life seen as available to normal mortals as well God of the underworld Power to determine who deserved immortality Held out hope of eternal reward for those who lived moral lives Nubian worship of Apedemak and Sebiumeker Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 16

The Bantu Migrations n n Bantu: “people” Migration throughout sub-Saharan regions, 3000– 1000 B. C. E. q n n Population pressures Today, more than 90 million speak Bantu languages By 1000 C. E. , occupied most of Africa south of the equator Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 17

Bantu Migrations, 2000 B. C. E. – 1000 C. E. Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 18

Early Agricultural Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa n n n Several smaller migrations: Kushite; Sudanese Mande-speaking peoples; Niger-Congo languages Agricultural societies established q n Communities of a few hundred, led by chiefs Varied and changing religious beliefs q q Evidence of early monotheism Deistic views as well n Prayers to intercessors, e. g. ancestor spirits Copyright © 2015 Mc. Graw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of Mc. Graw-Hill Education. 19