1. African Civilizations
AP World History

2. Geography & Environment
Is divided into 5 regions – N. Africa, E. Africa, W. Africa, Southern. Africa, & Central Africa
Three times as large as the U.S.
The Sahel is a great central plateau south of the Sahara desert

3. African Societies in General (before Islam)
Diverse – centralized states & stateless societies
Animistic religions – nature, rituals, dancing, witchcraft, creator deity, ancestor worship, sacrifice, drumming
Languages had common origin (Bantu)

4. Bantu People Location: West Africa (Now southeastern Nigeria)
Lifestyle: Farmers and nomadic herders
Farming: slash and burn (which forced them to move around)
Iron Making: Skilled iron workers, produced tools and weapons of iron, spread iron metallurgy throughout most of Sub-Saharan Africa. (may have been related to Nok)

5. Bantu Migration
Push-Pull Factors: Factors which push people out of an area or pull them into an area. (factors include environmental, economic, and political)
Causes of migration: Increased food production, increased population density, and lack of sufficient land
Effects of migration: Other peoples pushed out, territorial wars, ideas and languages exchanged, and ethnic groups intermingled
Swahili: A blend of Bantu languages and Arabic. One of the most commonly spoken languages in Africa.

6. Bantu Kingdoms (500 C.E. – 1500 C.E.)
Mass movement of Africans from west Africa to less populated areas
Bantu speaking peoples become the dominant group in Africa south of the Sahara
Wealthy Bantu kingdoms rise in central and southern Africa
Spread agricultural techniques & language (over 400 today)
Relied on iron tools –facilitated crop cultivation
Relied on banana (from SE Asia around 400 C.E.) for nutrition
Swahili – blend of Bantu languages and Arabic (becomes a lingua franca)

7. Stateless Societies Controlled by lineage or age sets
Lacked concentrated authority
Weaknesses - delayed ability to respond to outside pressures, mobilize for war, undertake large building projects or create stability for long distance trade

8. Nubia, Kush & Axum
Nubia- (3000 B.C.) ancient kingdom in the southern part of the Nile River valley – Egypt develops Coptic Church (Christians)
Kush – (2000 B.C.) trading kingdom (based mainly on iron) on the upper Nile
Axum – (200 B.C.) trading power located on the Red Sea (Ethiopia) who became Christians – isolated, traced origins to Solomon and Sheba

9. Nubia & Ethiopia Christianity present before arrival of Islam
Egyptian Copts had a rich and independent kingdom, but oppression by Byzantines caused them to welcome Muslim invaders
Nubians resisted Muslim incursions until the 13th century

10. Kingdom of Ghana (A.D. 300 – A.D. 1200)
Caravan trading empire that prospered from taxes
Benefited from salt and gold trade
Trade brought Islamic ideas and customs; many converted

11. Kingdom of Mali (1235 C.E.-1468 C.E.)
West African Kingdom established by Sundieta Keita (Lion Prince) in 1235
Rulers supported Islam (mosques, public prayers, preachers)
Juula – traders
Ibn Batuta visits (Arab traveler)
Greatest king was Mansa Musa (Muslim) – made Hajj
Important trading center and capital was Timbuktu

12. Kingdom of Songhai (A.D. 1493 – A.D. 1528 was its height)
Sunni Ali – ruthless, tactical commander
Most important ruler was Askia Muhammad (Muslim)
Were traders, farmers, & fishers who settled in the Niger River Valley
Timbuktu became a center of Muslim learning
Moroccan Army causes downfall

13. Islam in Africa Jihad spread Islam to north Africa (8th century)
Caravan trade helped spread Islam peacefully into Sub-Saharan Africa (Ghana, Mali, & Sudan)
Traditional beliefs blend with Muslim beliefs in some areas
Sudan – matrilineal societies resisted Islam; Islamic law (Shariah) said it must be patrilineal
Ocean traders spread Islam to coastal areas, islands, & east African cities (Mogadishu, Mombasa, & Kilwa)
Little success in interior Africa

14. Islam in Africa
Ibn Battuta – Arab traveler who documented the Islamic world (1300s)
Mamluks – originally a military caste that took seized power; dynasty that makes Egypt a center for Muslim culture and learning; were converts to Islam
Muslims bring slavery to new heights – saw slavery as a process in conversion

15. Swahili Coast
Series of trading ports became part of the Indian Ocean network
Town residents were influenced by Islam , but most of population remained tied to traditional ways
Bantu migrants mixed w/indigenous Africans
People from Oman and Persian Gulf settle in coastal villages – a mixed Bantu and Islamic culture develops (Swahili)
Islamic influence facilitates commerce
Islam does not penetrate the interior

16. Yoruba & Benin
In central Nigerian forests Nok culture (w/highly developed art style) flourishes from 500 B.C.E C.E.
Benin – Nigerian city-state formed by the Edo people during the 14th century, famous for its bronze art work
Yoruba (non-Bantu peoples) - highly urbanized agriculturists organized into small city-states
Yoruba under authority of regional divine kings presiding over elaborate courts

17. Great Zimbabwe “Royal stone courts”
Center of a state flourishing by 11th century
Massive stone walls and buildings incorporates the greatest early buildings in sub-Saharan Africa
Dominated gold sources and trade with coastal ports of the Indian Ocean network
Internal divisions led to split & decline

18. Slavery Within Africa
Demand for concubines and eunuchs by Muslims increased demand for women and children

19. Discussion Questions
What was the cultural effect of Islam’s spread into Africa?
Compare the Islamic effect on India and southeast Asia with that on sub-Saharan Africa.
Describe the “common elements” in African society.
Trace how Islam entered Africa.
How did Islam and the beliefs of indigenous societies fuse among African peoples?
Describe the connection between east Africa and Islam.
Where did the cultures in Africa develop that were NOT affected by Islam?