early civilizations in africa 8. ©2004 wadsworth, a division of thomson learning, inc. thomson...
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Early Civilizations in Early Civilizations in AfricaAfrica
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The Continent of AfricaThe Continent of Africa
The Emergence of CivilizationThe Emergence of Civilization The Land
5,000 miles long Sahara is the great divide
Kush Agriculture may have first appeared in Nubia rather than the lower
Nile valley Perhaps the site of the first true African kingdom Nubia became an Egyptian tributary Disintegration of the Egyptian New Kingdom (end of second
millennium B.C.E.) resulted in the independent state of Kush• Kush became a major trading state• Little known about the society of Kush• Seems to have been widespread material prosperity
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Ancient Ethiopia and NubiaAncient Ethiopia and Nubia
AxumAxum Conquered Kush in first millennium C.E. Axum founded as a colony of the kingdom of Saba
(Sheba) in first millennium B.C.E. Saba a trading state, goods from South Asia to the
Mediterranean Axum continued the trade after Saba declined
Location on trade routes responsible for prosperity Competed for control of ivory trade
Followed Egyptian Christianity Would be renamed Ethiopia
The Sahara The Sahara From 8000 to 4000 B.C.E. a warm, humid climate that
created lakes, ponds, grasslands, and game After 3000 B.C.E. farming spread to the savannas to the
south Carthage became focal point of trans-Saharan trade Ironworking by the people along the Niger River in the
middle of the first millennium B.C.E., Nok culture
East and Southern AfricaEast and Southern Africa
Bantu language group ( Bantu-Speaking People) Introduced cultivation of crops and
ironworking The Bantu settled into rural communities See Migration route on page 222 in text
Commercial trade Egyptians may have arrived looking for trade
goods Trade across the Indian Ocean
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Ancient AfricaAncient Africa
The Coming of IslamThe Coming of Islam African Religious Beliefs before Islam
Common beliefs• Single creator god
• Sometimes accompanied by lesser gods• Most believed in an afterlife in which ancestral souls floated in
the atmosphere through eternity• Closely connected to importance of ancestors and lineage• Rituals very important
Challenge by Islam but not always replaced; synthesized Animism – a belief in which spirits play an important role in daily
life, spirits are present in animals, plants and other natural forces
The Coming of Islam (cont.’d)The Coming of Islam (cont.’d) North Africa
Arab forces seized the Nile delta of Egypt in 641 New capital at Cairo Arabs welcome due to high taxes and periodic persecution of Coptic Christians by
Byzantines Arabs seize Carthage in 690 Berbers resisted for many years
The Kingdom of Ethiopia: A Christian Island in a Muslim Sea Axum began to decline Shift in trade routes and overexploited agriculture Muslim trading states on the African coast of the Red Sea transforming Axum into an
isolated agricultural society• Source of ivory, resins, and slaves
Attacked by Muslim state of Adal in early 14th century Became a Christian state in mid-twelfth century
East Africa: CultureEast Africa: Culture
Self-governing city-states Trade with the interior Trade with the Indian Ocean, China, and along
the coast Mixed African-Arab culture
Mixed culture and language called Swahili Conversion to Islam grows
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The Emergence of States in The Emergence of States in AfricaAfrica
The States of West AfricaThe States of West Africa Expansion of Islam has impact on political system Introduction of Arabic for a writing system Ghana
Majority of people were farmers Primary reason for Ghana’s growth was gold Trans-Saharan trade with Ghana becomes very important Divine right monarchy assisted by hereditary aristocracy Kings did not convert to Islam, but many of their subjects did
Mali Ruinous wars by the twelfth century in Ghana
• New states of Mali, Songhai, Kanem-Bornu, and Hausa states Greatest state was Mali
• Gold trade• Farming in the savanna region• Mansa Musa (1312-1337), king, encouraged Islam• Timbuktu becomes center of trade, religion and learning
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Trans-Saharan Trade RoutesTrans-Saharan Trade Routes
States and Stateless Societies in States and Stateless Societies in Southern AfricaSouthern Africa From the basin of the Congo River to the Cape of Good
Hope Stateless society Progress made with regional trade Zimbabwe (sacred house)
Capital known as Great Zimbabwe Benefited from trade between interior and coast Evidence of great wealth, but Great Zimbabwe abandoned
African SocietyAfrican Society
African Society Urban life Village Life Role of women Slavery
African CultureAfrican Culture Painting and Sculpture
Rock paintings, wood carving, pottery, metalwork Music and Dance
Often served religious purposes Wide variety of instruments Integration of voice and instrument Music produced for social rituals and educational purposes
Architecture Pyramid Stone pillars Stone buildings Sometimes reflected Moorish styles
Literature Written works did not exist in the early traditional period Professional storytellers, bards Importance of women in passing down oral traditions
Discussion QuestionsDiscussion Questions
How is Axum a “bridge” between East African society and the culture of Southern Arabia?
What is the history of the geography and climate of the Sahara?
How is the Sahara both a barrier and a highway in the development of Sub-Saharan Africa?
How are the East African states and the West African states alike? How are they different?