Nubian Culture: 6000B.C.E C.E. Geography: junction of Blue and White Nile between 3rd & 6th cataract Avenue of Ideas: spread to Egypt> monarchy, totem, smelting

Nubian Kings Piankhi: –led conquest of Egypt –combined ruler of Egypt & Nubia Taharka: –defeated Assyrians –mentioned in bible –revived architecture & literature

 Candace: Title for Nubian Queen  Amarenas: One Eyed Candace  Defeated the Romans

Reasons for decline of Nubia drought rise in Kingdom of Axum Christian Nubia joined in alliance with Crusaders conquered by Islamic Empire

Axum

Axum Later became Abyssinia, then Ethiopia 3,000,000 B.C.E. > Lucy or Dinknesh discovered in Eastern Ethiopia

Stone Hewn Churches at Lalibela

1 st Century C.E. > Christianity spreads to Axum

Celebration at Timkat

Attack & Isolation 1540 > Muslim attack on Abyssinia fails, but they lose control of port cities on east coast 1880 ’s Abyssinia remained independent while rest of Africa colonized

Griot  Keepers of memories, oral historians  bards>combine history, music, poetry, dance, drama kept & passed on mental record of coronations, births, deaths, marriages, battles, etc.

Kingdom of Ghana Salt Mines  City of Taghaza = major salt producing center of the Sahara  salt mines = forced labor by slaves (criminals or captives from war)  life expectancy in the mines = 2 years

Ghana’s Blacksmiths mastery of metal work in iron & gold  revered & feared as powerful magicians, (the power over the elements of the earth)  closed & secret society  forge called “fan”, means cosmic egg from which all life was born  forge >  four basic elements Fire, air, water, earth

Timbuktu Commercial Center seat of Islamic learning and culture largest city in Mali & Songhai Empires

Mansa Musa rebuilt capital, Timbuktu pilgrimage to Mecca, 1324 established universities

Weavers of Mali Respected & feared like Ghana’s blacksmiths loom symbolic of nature believed the gods sent spider to teach mankind magic of weaving Anansi, the spider, major character in West African mythology

Songhai or Songhay Empire Began in 7th century along Niger river. great trading cities of Gao, Djenné, and Timbuktu. B1

Askia Muhammad king pilgrimage to Mecca Transformed Songhai into an Islamic kingdom

African Civilizations Were as advanced as European civilizations during the Middle Ages Stressed extended family ties Were based on oral tradition Were often matrilineal Were weakened & destroyed by the slave trade during the 1500 ’s