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
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