Chapter 3 Early African Societies and the Bantu Migrations 1©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Development of African Agriculture Sahara desert originally highly fertile region Western Sudan region nomadic herders, ca B.C.E.  Domestication of cattle ca B.C.E.  Later, cultivation of sorghum, yams, increasingly diverse Widespread desiccation of the Sahara ca B.C.E. 2 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Gift of the Nile Gradual, predictable flooding Alluvial deposits support productive agricultural society “Gift of the Nile” 3 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Early Agriculture in Nile Valley 10,000 B.C.E. migrants from Red Sea hills (northern Ethiopia)  Introduce collection of wild grains, language roots of Coptic 5000 B.C.E. Sudanic cultivators, herders migrate to Nile River valley Adaptation to seasonal flooding of Nile through construction of dikes, waterways  Villages dot Nile by 4000 B.C.E. 4 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Impact on Political Organization As in Mesopotamia, a need for formal organization of public affairs Need to maintain order and organize community projects Egypt: simple, local irrigation projects Rural rather than heavily urban development Trade networks develop 5 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Unification of Egypt Legendary conqueror Menes, ca. 3100, unifies Egyptian kingdom  Sometimes identified with Narmer  Tradition: founder of Memphis, cultural and political center of ancient Egypt  Instituted the rule of the pharaoh Claimed descent from the gods Absolute rulers, had slaves buried with them from 2600 B.C.E. Most powerful during Archaic Period ( B.C.E.) and Old Kingdom ( B.C.E.) 6 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Pyramids Symbols of the pharaoh’s authority and divine status A testimony of the pharaohs’ ability to marshal Egypt’s resources Largest Khufu (Cheops), 2.3 M limestone blocks, average weight 2.5 tons Role: burial chambers for pharaohs 7 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Relations with Nubia Competition over Nile trade Military conflict between 3100 and 2600 B.C.E. Drove Nubians to the south  Established kingdom of Kush, ca B.C.E. Trade, cultural influences continue despite military conflict 8 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The New Kingdom Few pyramids, but major monumental architectural projects Engaged in empire-building to protect against foreign invasion After New Kingdom, local resistance drives Egypt out of Nubia Kingdom of Kush revives ca B.C.E. Invasions of Kushites, Assyrians destroy Egypt mid-sixth century B.C.E. 9 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Egyptian Urban Culture Major cities along Nile River, especially at delta  Memphis ca B.C.E., Heliopolis ca B.C.E. Nubian cities include Kerma, Napata, Meroë  Located at cataracts of the Nile Well-defined social classes  Pharaohs to slaves  Archaeological discoveries in Nubia also support class- based society  Patriarchal societies, notable exceptions: female pharaoh Hatshepsut (r B.C.E.) 10 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Economic Specialization Bronze metallurgy introduced late, with Hyksos invasion Development of iron early, ca. 900 B.C.E. Trade along Nile River  More difficult in Nubia due to cataracts  Sea trade in Mediterranean 11 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Hieroglyphs “Holy inscriptions”  Writing appeared at least by 3200 B.C.E.  Pictographic, supplemented with symbols representing sounds and ideas  Survives on monuments, buildings, and sheets of papyrus  Hieroglyphs for formal writing, hieratic script for everyday affairs used from 2600 B.C.E. to 600 C.E.  Greek alphabet adopted – demotic and Coptic scripts Meroitic writing: flexible system borrowed from hieroglyphs, represents sounds rather than ideas 12 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Development of Organized Religious Traditions Principal gods Amon and Re Religious tumult under Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) (r B.C.E.)  Introduces sole worship of sun god Aten  One of the world’s earliest expressions of monotheism Death of Akhenaten, traditional priests restore the cult of Amon-Re to privileged status ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 13

Mummification and the Afterlife Inspiration of the cycles of the Nile Belief in the revival of the dead  First: ruling classes only, later expanded to include lower classes Cult of Osiris  Lord of the underworld  Power to determine who deserved immortality  Held out hope of eternal reward for those who lived moral lives Nubian worship of Apedemak and Sebiumeker 14 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Bantu Migrations, B.C.E. Bantu: “people” Migration throughout sub-Saharan regions  Population pressures Over 500 variations of original Bantu language  90 million speakers By 1000 B.C.E., occupied most of Africa south of the equator 15 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Bantu Migrations, 2000 B.C.E C.E. ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 16

Bantu Religions Evidence of early monotheism Deistic views as well  Prayers to intercessors, e.g. ancestor spirits Great variations among populations 17 ©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.