Early AfricaEarly Africa

The first civilizations of Africa left behind few written records They taught their culture through stories and

legends For archeologists to study these people, they

had to study their legends and the artifacts left behind by the people

Geography and Geography and EnvironmentEnvironment Africa’s geography and climate have played

pivotal roles in the development of civilizations in Africa

There are deserts, grasslands, mountains, and fertile river valleys in Africa

Africa can be divided into 2 regions 1.) North Africa:

Mild temperatures Frequent rainfall ****between North Africa and Sub-Saharan ****between North Africa and Sub-Saharan

Africa is the Sahara Desert****Africa is the Sahara Desert**** 2.) Sub-Saharan Africa:

All of Africa south of the Sahara Desert There is a great plateau in the area—Sahel

Plateau Moderate rainfall Savannas dominate the area—treeless

grasslands

On the eastern side of the Sahel Plateau is the Great Rift ValleyGreat Rift Valley The valley is a large crack in the earth’s surface 40 miles wide 2000 feet deep 3000 miles long Stretches from the Red Sea to South Africa

There are 2 major rivers in Sub-Saharan Africa 1.) Niger 2.) Zaire (Congo)

KushKush The Kush civilization existed in Africa around

2000 BC The Kush were located on the upper Nile

River They developed a strong economy based on

trade They had been under Egyptian control

The Egyptians used Kush cities as trading posts They traded goods such as ivory, gold, and

lumber

1100s BC: the Kush were able to break free from Egyptian control The Kush became culturally and politically

independent By the 700s BC, the Kush had kings that

ruled over nearly all of Egypt The Kush made their capital at Napata 671 BC: Egypt was invaded by the Assyrians

who easily defeated the Kush The Kush’s bronze weapons were no match

for the iron weapons of the Assyrians

The Kush were forced out of Egypt The Kush learned to make iron from the

Assyrians The Kush built a new capital at Meroe

Meroe became an important iron producing city Eventually, a new civilization will invade the

Kush and totally end the Kush civilization The new enemy was Axum

Axum—A Christian Axum—A Christian KingdomKingdom Axum was located along the Red Sea Axum was a major trading power Axum adopted a lot of Roman culture The people of Axum adopted Christianity

when Rome adopted Christianity AD 330: The King of Axum made Christianity

the official religion of the kingdom

Axum began to fall apart when Muslim merchants and soldiers began raiding Axum’s trading ships

The Axum were forced to move into the interior of Africa where they established a new kingdom—Ethiopia

The Nok—Sub-Saharan The Nok—Sub-Saharan African KingdomsAfrican Kingdoms Between 700 and 200 BC, the Nok had established

a civilization in the Niger and Benue River valleys The Nok had some knowledge of iron work The Nok farmers used iron tools to help them

produce a surplus of food The Nok over farmed their land—the land stopped

producing enough food for the people The Nok were force to move in order to survive

They needed to find more suitable farmland

The Nok’s migration to find new lands to farm has been called the Bantu Migration

The Nok migrated into central, eastern, and southern Africa

As these people migrated, they developed different cultures

They all spoke languages based on the Bantu language family

Some followed the Niger River, others went into the rain forest, still others moved onto the savannas to raise cattle

Village Life: The different groups that migrated into the

different regions of Africa formed close knit communities in their villages

Families were very close Some villages were matrilineal—tracing your

ancestry through your mother, not your father When a girl married, she became a member

of her husband’s family In return for their daughter, the bride’s family

received tools, animals, and cloth—a payment for losing their daughter

Before marriage, members of the family had specific duties Boys 10 and under herded cattle Girls 10 and under helped plant and harvest crops

Boys and girls 12 and over could take part in religious ceremonies—they were considered adults

Religious BeliefsReligious Beliefs Most Africans were polytheists—believing in

more than 1 god The main gods controlled the lesser gods The lesser gods controlled everyday

occurrences—storms, rain, crops growing, etc.

Many African groups also believed the spirits of the dead were roaming around with the living—ghosts

African Empires and KingdomsAfrican Empires and Kingdoms

Sub-Saharan Africa contained many resources that people could use in order to thrive and survive Gold Copper Iron

The African people began trading with Muslim merchants This trade led to lots of wealth and power for the African

civilizations Three of these civilizations will become powerful based

on this trade—Ghana, Mali, Songhai

Ghana:

Ghana became one of the richest trading empires in Africa

Ghana was located between gold and salt mines—making the kingdom very wealthy Salt proved to be more valuable than gold—used to

preserve foods, especially meats Gold was traded to get salt

Between AD 300 and 1200, the kingdom was nearly 100,000 square miles in size

Muslim merchants would come to Ghana to trade goods to get salt

AD 800: Ghana was at its trading height Muslim ideas poured into Ghana from the

Muslim merchants At the end of the AD 1000s, Ghana was attacked

by a group of Muslims from Northern Africa The Kingdom was split up and no longer existed

Mali:Mali:

Mali started life as a small state within Ghana

Once Ghana was invaded and split up, Mali broke away and created its own kingdom

Mali had some very powerful and influential kings

1.) Sundiata Keita: Began developing an empire by taking over his

neighbors By the AD 1200s, Mali had taken the lands of old

Ghana Keita wanted his empired to be prosperous He re-established the old trade routes He cleared land to help farmers produce more crops:

Peanuts Rice Sorghum Yams Beans Onions Grains—Wheat and barley

2.) Mansa Musa (1312-1332):Considered the greatest King of MaliUsed his powerful army to protect trade and

monitor trade routes Introduced Islam to his peopleHad many mosques bulit in the capital of

TimbuktuTimbuktu became an important center of

Muslim art, architecture, and learning By AD 1500, Mali had split up

Songhai:Songhai:

The kingdom of Songhai was located along the Niger River

The people were farmers, traders, and fishermen

During the AD 140s, Sunni Ali was able to take over a lot of land, including Timbuktu

Sunni Ali was a Muslim

Sunni Ali’s son was not a Muslim, but worshiped the ancient African gods

When Sunni Ali died, his son took the throne

Ali’s son was not very popular and was soon overthrown in favor of a Muslim ruler

The new ruler of Songhai was Askia Muhammad

Songhai reached its highest point under Askia Muhammad

Askia Muhammad ruled from 1493 until 1528

He divided Songhai into 5 provincesEach province had its own tax collectors,

governor, a court, and trade inspector Muhammad was a very devout Muslim

He made laws based on the Islamic religionMajor crimes carried very harsh punishments

1528: Muhammad is overthrown by his own son

The kingdom falls into civil war over who should be in control of Songhai

1589: The Moroccans take over Songhai