Africa is a large, diverse continent million square miles North Africa and the southwestern coast are primarily desert Sub-Saharan Africa is a plateau of grasslands surrounding rainforests

African history was told by oral traditions, instead of being written down Poems, songs, and stories passed by word-of-mouth from generation to generation Told history of the family or tribe, as well as morality tales

Modern historians and anthropologists have found evidence of Africa trading with Asia: The design and tuning of xylophones Language similarities, such as Malagasy, spoken in Indonesia and Madagascar Bananas (an Asian crop) growing in Africa

Lived in small, independent farming, herding, or fishing villages Societies centered around extended families Many societies were matrilineal People traced their ancestors and inherited property through mothers, rather than fathers Animistic and spiritualistic religions Belief in ancestor spirits, spirits of the earth, creator gods, natural gods, ghosts, and magic

Early Sub-Saharan Empires

Traders of gold, ivory, ebony, and ostrich feathers Established an empire along a major caravan route Occasionally ruled by the Egyptians, but broke away and conquered Upper Egypt by 710 BC Weakened several times by foreign invaders, such as the Assyrians

Reorganized around 250 BC, and became an early center for ironworking in Africa Continued being the center of trade between the Red Sea and Nile River Influenced by other trading cultures, specifically Greek culture and religion Built pyramids, crafted with pottery and metal, and developed a written language. Lost control of the trading routes and were taken over by the Aksum about AD 350

Located in modern day Ethiopia, along trade routes between the Red Sea and Egypt Traded ivory, gold, incense, and obsidian for glass, metal, pottery, wine, and olive oil By AD 300, Aksum became a thriving military power By AD 350, Aksum converted to Christianity Becomes a powerful influence in Eastern Africa, lasting to this day

Erosion from poor farming practices and deforestation made the land unproductive Lost trading power to the Persians and new Islamic Arabic groups Aksum could not compete with the other trading empires and lost control of the Red Sea