Non Egyptian Ancient African Civilizations World History Libertyville High School

Nubia / Kush Area between Second through Fifth cataracts of Nile –Area between 2 nd and 3 rd cataracts = Nubia –Area between 3 rd and 5 th cataracts = Kush Conquered by Egypt around 2000 BC –Ruled by Egypt as client state –Served as major trading center between Egypt, African societies

Nubia / Kush After failure of New Kingdom ca BC, Kush re-emerged –Conquered Nubia –Considered selves as proper heirs to Egyptian state, pharaoh title –Adopted Egyptian titles, society, architecture Kushites / Nubians then invaded Egypt, as liberators –After short time, Assyrians pushed Nubians out of Egypt –Cut Nubians from Med., Middle East, Europe

Western Africa and the Sahara Evidence of human settlers in W Africa from BC Ca BC, herders, dry farming communities Ca 3000 BC, Sahara savannah began turning into a desert –Farmers, herders, migrated towards coasts –Desertification isolated W Africa coastal peoples

Western Africa and the Sahara Around 400 BC, contact made with Carthage and trade commenced –Traded gold from SW for salt, iron goods, advanced mfgr’ed goods –Diffusion of iron production gave W Africans big advantage over neighbors ability to expand farming Made better weapons –Formed city-states and empires in the AD period

West African Societies Urban Development –Earliest stone walled towns developed in Mauritania, around 2000 BC –Towns emerged ca BC in Sahel (S of Sahara) –All towns grew up around oases, rivers

West African Societies Major technological development: Iron smelting by 1400 BC Bantu Migrations, 1000 BC – 1000 AD –Bantu = N-Central African language group –Migrated into rain forests of Congo, E into African Highlands –Imposed language, spread iron smelting & high yield agriculture –Founded Great Zimbabwe Kingdom around 800 AD

Sub-Saharan (Central and Southern) Africa to 600 BC Political organization: none (family groups) Hunter-gatherers Technological development = stone, bone tech Religion –Animism: spirits of natural world, animals, geographic locations

Why Didn’t Complex Society Develop in Sub Saharan Africa? Persistence of hunter-gatherer bands –Abundance of game –Lack of external human threats to lifestyle Persistence of subsistence farming –Lack of high yield crops –Lack of domesticable animals –Lack of irrigable waterways Geographic considerations –Lack of natural harbors –Geographic barriers (Sahara) assured isolation