Pre-Agriculture Civilizations and Beyond Africa Pre-Agriculture Civilizations and Beyond

Africa’s Geography Africa is the second largest continent in the world behind Asia. Africa a variety of extreme features including the second largest desert in the world and a large rainforest in the center of the continent. Both of which are uninhabitable Tsetse Fly (Malaria) Sahel – means “coastline” in Arabic, Sahara’s coastline. Savannah’s of Africa Where most of Africa’s people live.

Geography Sahara Desert Sahel Rainforest Congo Kalahari Desert

First Humans to walk the Earth The first humans appeared in Africa’s Great Rift Valley then spread outward into the early river civilizations. Some groups people in Africa still embrace the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. San – Kalahari BaMbuti (bah-uhm-Boo-tee) – Congo Agriculture is believed to have started in Africa some time between 8000 and 6000 B.C.

Early African Culture Animism as a major part of early religion in African societies. Belief that animal spirits play a role in regulating daily life. Griots – oral history storytellers

Early African Iron Smelting Parts of Africa seem to have skipped the Copper and Bronze Ages Straight to the Iron Age. Used to make farming tools and hunting weapons.

Bantu Migrations 3 Phase Migration from Middle Eastern Africa. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2h8A_nmFXU 3 Phase Migration from Middle Eastern Africa. Push-Pull Factors What pushes someone out of an area or attracts them to migrate into an area. Slash and Burn Farming is a _______ factor? Proto-Bantu language tree Eventually develops into over 900 African languages.

Early Kingdoms of Africa Kush Aksum Swahili and Ghana Look these 2 up independently

Kush Kingdom (Chap. 4 p.92-94) Lived in an area called Nubia just South of Egypt. Ruled by Egypt during the New Kingdom. Kushites take over Egypt in 751 B.C. and rule for over a thousand years. Becomes Egypt’s 25th dynasty After a war with Assyrians the Kush people retreat from Egypt and set up a new capital Meroe further south on the Nile.

Kush Kingdom White Nile Blue Nile

Aksum Kingdom Conquered the Kush in 350 A.D. Lived in modern day Ethiopia On the “Horn of Africa” Part of the Silk Road Legend traces this Kingdom to a son of King Solomon and is first mentioned in written history of the Greeks around 100 A.D. Dynasty lasts until the 20th Century when its last ruler Haile Selassie dies in 1975.

Aksum Kingdom (continued) Monotheistic religion which worshiped Mahrem, they believed their king was directly descended from Mahrem. Believed in animism. Cultural diffusion that went along with trade led to Aksum to convert to Christianity.

Aksum Kingdom (continued 2x) The Aksum’s hilly landscape led them to develop terrace farming, which held the soil and water on hillsides. Terrace farming is still used today!

Fall of the Aksum Empire Muslim conquerors forced the Aksum people to retreat to modern Ethiopia. This movement cut off the Aksum to the vast majority of its trade and caused a decline in the civilization. They ruled a small portion of land for decades to come as Christians… they never converted to Islam.