Unit 4: African Kingdoms Mr. Webster’s Class

Vocabulary Sahara – largest desert in the world, located in North Africa savanna – grassy plain with irregular patterns of rainfall nuclear family – family unit consisting of parents and children lineage – group claiming a common ancestor patrilineal – when kinship ties are traced through the father matrilineal – when kinship ties are traced through the mother consensus – general agreement griot – professional storyteller in early West Africa

Africa – Home of the First Homo Sapiens Africa is the world’s second largest continent. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence that Africa was the home of the earliest ancestors of modern people. Members of these groups migrated all over Africa and beyond. Over thousands of years, migrations contributed to the rich diversity of cultures in Africa.

Bantu Migrations Between 1000 B.C. and A.D. 1000, West African farmers and herders migrated to the south and east. These West African peoples spoke a variety of languages deriving from a single common language – Bantu. The influence of Bantu can still be found in the languages of the region today.

Nubia About 2700 B.C., the great civilization of Egypt was growing along the northern banks of the Nile. To the south, Nubia developed along a wide band of fertile land on the upper Nile in present-day Sudan. Trade led to contact, and later rivalry, between Nubia and Egypt. By 1500 B.C., Nubia was under Egyptian control.

Meroë By 1100 B.C., Nubia had gained independence from Egypt. Around 500 B.C., Nubian rulers to moved their capital to Meroë. Meroë was rich in iron ore, and quickly became a major center of trade. In time, Nubia went into decline, and around A.D. 350, was overwhelmed by the kingdom of Axum to its south.

Carthage Carthage was founded by Phoenician traders in the 9th century B.C., and quickly rose to dominate the western Mediterranean trade. Territorial and trade rivalries between Rome and Carthage eventually led to a series of wars known as the Punic Wars. At the end of the Third Punic War, Romans burned Carthage to the ground.

Christianity and Islam Spread into Africa After defeating Carthage, Rome gained control of much of North Africa. Under Roman rule, Christianity spread to the cities of North Africa. In the 690s, Muslim Arabs conquered and occupied the cities of North Africa. Under Arab rule, Islam eventually replaced Christianity as the dominant religion of North Africa.

Gold and Salt For centuries, two products, gold and salt, dominated trade in the Sahara region of Africa. Gold was widely available in the area of present-day Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal, while the Sahara region had an abundance of salt. In time, strong monarchs arose, gained control of the most profitable trade routes, and built powerful kingdoms.

Ghana By A.D. 800, the rulers of the Soninke people had united many farming villages and created the kingdom of Ghana. The ancient kingdom of Ghana was located in present-day Mali. Ghana was often called “the land of gold.” In time, Ghana was swallowed up by a new power, the West African kingdom of Mali.

Mali The kingdom of Mali was established by Sundiata Keita in 1235. The mansas, or kings of Mali, expanded their influence by controlling the lucrative gold-salt trade. Where caravan routes crossed, towns like Timbuktu mushroomed into great trading cities.

Mansa Musa The greatest ruler of the kingdom of Mali was Mansa Musa, who came to power in 1312. Musa expanded Mali’s borders, and worked to ensure peace and order in his kingdom. He also converted to Islam, and based his system of justice on the Quran. Although he was Muslim, Musa promoted religious freedom.

Mali’s Golden Age In 1324, Mansa Musa made the hajj to Mecca. In doing so, he forged new diplomatic and economic ties with other Muslim states. Upon returning to Mali, Mansa Musa brought back scholars who helped promote Islamic education. Timbuktu became a great center of learning.

Songhai In the 1400s, disputes over succession weakened Mali, and the empire eventually shriveled. By the 1460s, the wealthy trading city of Gao had become the capital of the emerging West African kingdom of Songhai. Songhai was the largest state in African history. In 1591, Songhai was conquered by Morocco.

Benin The forest kingdom of Benin was established in the 1300s. In Edo (now Benin City), a great palace was decorated with elaborate plaques and sculptures made of brass and bronze. Benin sculptors became known for their unique style of representing the human face and form. Their works depicted warriors, queen mothers, and the oba, or king.

Axum The kingdom of Axum (present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea) existed from approximately A.D. 100 to 960. Axum grew rich from the profitable Red Sea trade. In the 300s, Christianity became the official religion of Axum. As Islam spread throughout North Africa in the 600s, Axum became isolated from its trading network and the kingdom slowly declined.

Ethiopia Axum’s cultural and religious traditions survived amongst the peoples of Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, Christianity became a unifying power, and Ethiopian kings claimed descent from King Solomon and the queen of Sheba. A small number of Ethiopians practiced Judaism until the late 1900s when most fled due to famine and persecutions.

Medieval African Family Patterns In medieval Africa, as elsewhere, the family was the basic unit of society. In some small societies, the basic family was the nuclear family, with parents and children living and working together as a unit. In other units, family units included extended family who lived and worked together to ensure the success of the group.

Kinship In patrilineal families, important kinship ties such as inheritance were passed through the father’s side. In matrilineal families, inheritance passed through the mother’s side. Each family belonged to a lineage, or group of households who claimed a common ancestor. Several lineages formed a clan with an even more remote and often legendary ancestor.

Political Patterns Power in smaller medieval African societies was often decentralized. Villages often made decisions by a process known as consensus, or general agreement. In some villages, authority was held by a chief. In villages that were part of a large kingdom, decisions made at a distant court had to be obeyed.

African Religious Beliefs African religious beliefs that existed before the arrival of Islam and Christianity were varied and complex. Many African societies believed in forces and spirits, and they tried to influence those forces and spirits through rituals and ceremonies. Upon diffusing to Africa, Christianity and Islam absorbed many local practices and beliefs.

African Art and Literature African artists worked in many materials, including gold, ivory, wood, bronze, and cloth. Art often served social and religious, as well as decorative, purposes. Early and medieval African societies preserved their histories and values through both written and oral literature. In West Africa, griots preserved histories by reciting ancient stories.