Christopher Ehret, The Civilizations of Africa Chapter 3: “Culture and Technology in Africa, 9000—3500 BCE” Inventing Agriculture: The Eastern Sahara, 9000—5500 BCE What major climate shift describes the period known as the Holocene Climatic Optimum? (pg. 59) How did the Holocene Climatic Optimum effect vegetation change? Was this a swift process? (pg. 61) Initial developments towards the first African invention of agriculture began between 10,000 and 9000 BCE. During this time certain Nilo-Saharan communities did what in terms of territory? (pg. 61-62) What is the language that we begin using as a label for the descendents of these Nilo-Saharans? What were the origins of the Erythraic peoples that the Nilo-Saharans came into contact with? (pg. 62) The Northern Sudanians What food related innovation did the Northern Sudanians adopt from their Eryhraic neighbors? What other major world technological breakthrough did the Northern Sudanians effect around this same time period? (pg. 64)

How did the above technological breakthrough affect the way they prepared their foods?

What major development in the relationship between humans and cattle were the Northern Sudanians involved in during 9000-8000 BCE? (pg. 65)

In terms of world history, this became part of three independent occurrences—where and when were the other two occurrences? (pg. 65)

Describe the religious ideas (i.e. about Divinity) of the Northern Sudanians and the role of ancestors. (pg. 66) How did they explain evil?

The Saharo‐Sahelians Who are the Saharo-Sahelian peoples? (Who did they descend from?) What is the major step in the invention of agriculture that they took? (pg. 66) Because of their innovations around feeding themselves, what happens to their settlement patterns? (pg. 67) What was the Aquatic agriculture tradition of the Sudan during 9000—5500 BCE? (pg. 68-79) What sort of environmental changes allowed Sudanic (seed) agriculture to eclipse Aquatic agriculture as the dominant food system? (pg. 71) What were common features that took hold everywhere in Sudanic (agriculture) civilization? (pg. 73-75) i. ii. iii. iv. v.

Sudanic Influences on Egypt Describe the Middle Nile Cultural Area. (pg. 92) Describe the earliest foundations of the culture that was to evolve into that of dynastic Egypt. i. Migration ii. Language iii. Food iv. Religion By the sixth of fifth Millennium how and why does Egypt begin to be drawn into the Middle Nile Cultural Area? (pg. 93) What are two examples of animals and two items of material culture gained by Egypt from the Middle Nile Cultural Area? What key feature of classical Egyptian political culture can we link to the influence of Sudanic civilization of the Middle Nile Cultural Area? (pg. 94) The Khoisan Civilization Where do these peoples expand to around the seventh millennium BCE? (pg. 94-95)

West African Planting Agriculture, 9000—5500 BCE Describe what is the technique involving yam that we call “West African planting agriculture”? (pg. 82) What other food innovations do we see in this West African complex? What innovation in technology do we see along with the new economy? Enset Agriculture in the Horn of Africa How did the coming of Montane forest in the Ethiopian Highlands result in the creation of a third independent invention of crop cultivation in Africa? (pg. 80) Describe the Enset plant and how it is used in Omotic agriculture. The Cushitic Agripastorial Tradition Describe the Cushite contribution of a fourth independent African cultivating tradition. (pg 87) Africa 9000—3500 BCE in the Context of World History Read pages 96-100 for and overview of African agricultural and cultural developments in the context of world history.