1. Early African Societies and the Bantu Migrations
SPICE Packet
Early African Societies and the Bantu Migrations

2. S- Development and Transformation of Social Structures
Cities in the Nile Valley -> centers for accumulated wealth= social distinctions + hierarchies
Pharaoh- Supreme ruler, made laws, commanded the military, and promoted trade, building projects, and the arts.
Government Officials- carried out Pharaoh’s orders/served central government
Priests- in charge of temples, rituals, and ceremonies.
Scribes- highly educated, recorded information for government and religious leaders
Artisans- highly skilled craftspeople like carpenters, painters, metal-workers, sculptors, and stone carvers.
Peasants/Slaves farmed and worked on the pharaoh’s building projects.

3. S- Development and Transformation of Social Structures
Patriarchal Society
Men
Authority of public and private affairs
Elites- scribes, government officials
Lower-class men- potters, carpenters, fishermen, laborers
Women
Royal family- use status to offer advice, influence policy, manipulate politics, priestesses, scribes
Ex. Queen Hatshepsut
Upper elites- oversaw domestic work of servants
All below- perform domestic work
Brew beer, grow vegetables, grind grains, bake bread, spin thread, weave textiles
Both men and women can accumulate property and pass wealth on to children

4. P- State-Building, Expansion, and Conflict
3100 BCE- unified rule in Egypt under Menes
Capital at Memphis
Centralized state ruled by Pharaoh
BCE- Archaic Period
BCE- Old Kingdom
Pyramids (Archaic and Old Kingdom periods)- evidence of Pharaoh’s ability to use resources, symbol of greatness/wealth
Conflict between Nubia and Egypt over political and commercial resources
Hostilities force consolidation of Nubian power-> Kingdom of Kush
Desire for trade despite hostilities-> cultural diffusion
Hyksos invade with horses and advanced weaponry

5. P- State-Building, Expansion, and Conflict
BCE- period of productivity, prosperity, and power known as the New Kingdom
Born out of Nobles’ rebellions against foreigners
Pharaohs seize control of regions seen as political threats
1479 BCE- Egypt expands under imperial rule of Tuthmosis III
Palestine, Syria, Kush
Local resistance of conquered peoples and Kushite + Assyrian invasions cause decline of Egyptian empire
Kushite dynasty rules Egypt from 760 BCE
Mid-Sixth century BCE- Egypt falls to foreign conquerors

6. I- Interaction Between Humans and the Environment
Early Sudanic Agriculture
10,000 BCE- Sudan region grassy steppe of rivers, lakes, streams
People hunt wild cattle, collect grains, fish
9,000 BCE- domesticate cattle, nomadic herders
7500 BCE- development of agriculture and permanent settlements
5000 BCE- small-scale states, monarchies ruled by “divine” kings
Climate becomes hotter in Northern Africa: Sahara become uninhabitable (desiccation)-> people move closer to water sources

7. I- Interaction Between Humans and the Environment
Nile River
Predictable, annual floods leave rich soil
Agricultural techniques become more advanced with irrigation
Nubian and Egyptian societies protected by Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Sahara Desert
4000 BCE- agricultural villages cooperate for trade and building projects
3000 BCE- small local kingdoms along Nile

8. C- Development and Interaction of Cultures
Hieroglyphic Writing (3200 BCE)
Mesopotamian influence
Papyrus
Used to keep administrative and commercial records + literary and religious texts
Hieratic- simplified script for everyday affairs
Eventually, Egyptians adapt Greek alphabet to language

9. C- Development and Interaction of Cultures
Religious Traditions
Revered sun, creation, fertility, reproductive forces
Ex. Amon, Re
Brief practice of monotheism-> Aten
Mummification- death as a new level of existence
Extended only to rulers and wealthy
Cult of Osiris
Associated with the Nile and crops
Revered for cycle of life, death, and resurrection

10. E- Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems
Technological Advancements
17th Century BCE- Bronze adopted for Egyptian tools and weaponry
1000 BCE- Iron production develops independently in Southern Nile Societies
3500 BCE- Boats ride Nile south to north, use sails and winds from the north to move back south
3000 BCE- Egyptians sail into Mediterranean
2000 BCE- Egyptians explore Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, western Arabian Sea
Use wheeled vehicles and donkeys for overland trade

11. E- Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems
Specialized labor + efficient transportation= long-distance trade
Imports
Exports
Egypt: Ivory, ebony, leopard skins, ostrich feathers, gemstones, gold, slaves
Nubia: Linen textiles, boxes, furniture, jewelry
Egypt: Cedar Logs
Lebanon: Gold, silver, linen textiles, leather goods, dried foods
Egypt: Gold, ebony, ivory, cattle, aromatics, slaves, apes, monkeys, dogs, panthers, myrrh trees
Punt: Jewelry, tools, weapons

12. Bantu Migrations and Early Agricultural Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa
Bantu language from Niger-Congo
People settled on rivers, cultivated crops, raised goats and fowl
Clan-based villages headed by chiefs
Traded with hunter-gatherer forest dwellers
Population pressure
Canoes and agricultural surplus enable migration
3000 BCE- migrate south into west African forest
2000 BCE- Expand south into Congo River Basin + east toward Great Lakes Region (Rwanda/Uganda)
Absorbed local populations of forest dwellers
1000 BCE- development of iron-> enables rapid migration

14. Bantu Migrations and Early Agricultural Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa
1000 CE- Bantu-speaking peoples occupy most of Africa south of Equator
Language broken into over 500 distinct tongues
Encroachment on land of forest peoples-> pressure and conflict
Spread agriculture throughout sub-Saharan Africa
Societies make social distinctions based on age-sets and gender
Monotheistic religious beliefs
Ex. Nyamba (creator god)
Prayed to ancestral and local spirits

15. SQ3R
In what ways did agriculture impact the early societies of northern Africa?
Why are Egypt and Nubia referred to as the “Gifts of the Nile?”
What were the characteristics of a unified Egypt?
What turmoil resulted from the expansion of the Egyptian empire?
What role did the emergence of cities play in the social stratification of Egyptian societies?
What technological advancements enabled economic specialization and trade in ancient Egypt?
What uses did early writing have in the Nile Valley?
Why did organized religious traditions develop in Egypt?
Why is the Bantu expansion distinguished by the language spoken?
What impact did the spread of agriculture have on early societies of sub-Saharan Africa?