Early Civilizations in Africa

Africa’s Size Second largest continent 10% of the world’s population 4 6 0 0 M I L E S 5 0 0 0 M I L E S Second largest continent 10% of the world’s population

The Continent of Africa Very different environments Dessert & rainforests unihabitable Insect diseases: tsetse fly & mosquito Most people live in savannas

The Emergence of Civilization The Land Sahara is the great divide Nomadic—herders Migration: Bantu peoples Farming and ironworking Family=basic social unit Extended families/clans Animism: spiritual religion/ancestor worship Griots: specialized storytellers, pass and preserve history orally

Bantu Migration ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license. Bantu migration spread use of iron, language across continent

North Africa: Axum Rich trading state Followed Coptic Christianity King Ezana converts Mixes Christian beliefs and African traditions Fell to Islamic invaders Now Ethiopia

Stele, Ezana’s Royal Tomb, Aksum (4c)

Christian Church, Lalibela

Christian Church, Lalibela Coptic Christian Priest

The States of West Africa Expansion of Islam Arabic becomes main language Ghana Gold-Salt Trade Very wealthy: “Land of Gold” Kings did not convert to Islam, but the people did Mali Wealth come from Gold trade Eventually conquer Ghana Mansa Musa, encouraged Islam, built university in Timbuktu (yes, it’s a real city) Songhai Sunni Ali builds vast military state: expands empire Ruled 1000 years Lacked modern weapons: falls in 1591 to Morocco

Gold-Salt Trade Berbers SALT GOLD

Gold “Money”, Ghana/Ivory Coast Ghana Empire [4c-11c] Gold “Money”, Ghana/Ivory Coast

Salt

King of Ghana "The King . . .(wears). . . necklaces round his neck and bracelets on his forearms and he puts on a high cap decorated with gold and wrapped in a turban of fine cotton. He (meets people) in a domed pavilion around which stand ten horses covered with gold-embroidered materials…and on his right, are the sons of the (lesser) kings of his country, wearing splendid garments and their hair plaited with gold. At the door of the pavilion are dogs of excellent pedigree. Round their necks they wear collars of gold and silver, studded with a number of balls of the same metals." 10th century geographer Al-Bakri, quoted in Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West African History.

Mali Empire [13c-15c] SALT GOLD

Timbuktu-”Heavenly Clay”

Timbuktu Rooftop, Mosque

Great Mosque at Djenne, Mali

Mansa Musa [r. 1312-1337]

East Africa Self-governing city-states Trade with the interior, Indian Ocean, China, and along the coast Influenced by Arab traders Ex: Zanzibar Often traded slaves Mixed African-Arab culture Mixed culture and language called Swahili

Swahili-Speaking Areas of E. Africa SWAHILI [“the coast’] = Bantu + some Arabic

Stateless Societies of South Africa From the basin of the Congo River to the Cape of Good Hope Stateless society: power is not in a government Progress made with regional trade Zimbabwe (Sacred House, Great Stone House) Capital known as Great Zimbabwe Benefited from trade between interior and coast Evidence of great wealth, but Great Zimbabwe abandoned

Great Zimbabwe [1200-1450]

Great Zimbabwe Street

Great Enclosure, Zimbabwe