Ancient Africa

Africa Thick jungles Forbidding Deserts Disease-ridden wetlands

The Bantu Most of the people in Africa today are descendents of the Bantu Bantu people came out of today’s Nigeria and North-central Africa. Bantu language is the largest group of African language today They are made up of cereal farmers and metal workers

The Kingdom of Nubia Land on the upper Nile in what is today Sudan Kingdom of Nubia also called Kush Trade led to contact with Egypt and takeover then Nubia took over Egypt Assyrians invaded and trade with Nubia crossed the Mediterranean Sea Trade of gold, ivory, animal skins, perfumes, and enslaved people. Worshipped a lion-headed warrior god. Nubian alphabet has yet to be deciphered!

Lion-headed Warrior

Kingdoms of West Africa Kingdom of Ghana *united farming villages *along the Niger and Senegal rivers in present-day Mali *Lots and lots of GOLD *Muslim merchants brought their Islamic faith and culture to Ghana and set up trade routes to Mecca and other Islamic areas

Kingdom of Mali Upper Niger River Mansa Musa rules and his name means “where the king dwells”. *expanded border to Atlantic Ocean *25 year reign *converted to Islam and based justice on Quran but promoted religious freedom and tolerance Gold mining and Salt supplies Timbuktu grew as a great trading center

Mansa Musa of Mali

Kingdom of Songhai Bend of the Niger River in present-day Mali and Niger Sonni Ali brought trade routes and wealthy cities like Timbuktu under his control Followed the traditional religious beliefs not Islam Then came the Muslims and took over by leader Askia Muhammad who made a hajj to Mecca

Askia Muhammad

Kingdoms of East Africa Kingdoms of Axum, Ethiopia, Swahili, Zimbabwe Ibn Buttuta

Ibn Battuta