AFRICASection 1

Africa’s Early History

I. THE PHYSICAL SETTING

A. North Africa – written records exist for the civilizations north of the Great Sahara Desert.

B. South of the Sahara1. Known as sub-Saharan Africa.2. Geography influenced the growth of

civilization.

I. THE PHYSICAL SETTING

C. The Plateau1. Invasion hindered by difficulty traveling

upstream from the ocean (rivers with strong rapids)

2. The same rapids make it difficult for trade and communication among Africans.

3. ¼ of the continent dominated by Sahara Desert. South of the Sahara is the Sahel – agriculture limited in these regions.

4. Savannas – farming takes place around 3000 BCE (sorghum, millet, rice). Herding takes place between the savanna and the desert.

I. THE PHYSICAL SETTING

5. Rainforests and jungles dominate farther south because of increased rainfall.

a. Root crops (yams, etc.) grown by farmers.

b. Deadly disease (for early Africans) spreads – malaria, yellow fever, sleeping sickness.

6. Further south – more desert and barren land.

I. THE PHYSICAL SETTING

D. Other Natural Features1. Lake Chad and Lake Victoria – drainage

basins for continent’s five major rivers.2. Great Rift Valley – long narrow lakes

(Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi)3. Ethiopian Plateau – source of Nile River4. Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro

(north) Drakensberg Mountains – southease.

I. THE PHYSICAL SETTING

E. Rediscovering Africa’s Past1. No written record makes it difficult to

compile a history so historians rely on:a. Language – linguists trace similarities in

language families such as Bantu. b. Oral traditions – poems, songs, stories passed

on orally – by griots who performed oral stories and kept family records. Tradition continues today, though historians have written things down.

c. Cultural similarities.d. Archaeology – excavations.

I. THE PHYSICAL SETTING

F. Patterns of Life1. Small independent farming, herding or

fishing villages.2. Women were prominent – matrilinear –

traced ancestry through mothers instead of fathers, including inheriting property, etc.

3. Religion – spirits populated the world, including spirits of ancestors. However, most believed one creator god was supreme.

4. Pace of life – based on seasons and village-centered.