1. The Rise of African Civilizations
Chapter 13, Section 1, page 444

2. Africa’s Geography – page 445
a vast and diverse continent
hot, steamy rain forests on either side of the equator
tropical grasslands, known as savannas, cover most of Africa north and south of the rain forests
deserts → Sahara in the north and the Kalahari and the Namib in the southwest
coastal areas in the north and the south have a Mediterranean climate (mild and good for growing crops)

3. Africa’s Geography – page 445

4. The African Plateau – page 446
Much of Africa rests on a plateau (a high area of flat land).
Great Rift Valley
Photo: Escarpments of the Great Rift Valley. Available from:

5. West African Empires – page 447
Berbers
camels – “the ships of the desert”
trade caravans
cloth
salt
trade led to city growth, which led to empire building

6. Rise of Ghana – page 448 Ghana c. A.D. 400s “crossroads of trade”
grew wealthy from the salt and gold trade
traders paid taxes as they passed through
military might (iron weapons, manpower)
control of the goods people wanted
Photo: Map of Ghana. Available from: Discovery Education.

7. Rise of Mali – page 448
Ghana declined in the 1200s due to warfare and poor harvests.
Mali
griots – African storytellers
Sundiata Keita – warrior king who took control of Ghana in 1240
Photo: West African Empires. Available from: Discovery Education

8. Rise of the Songhai – page 449
Mali declined after the death of Mansa Musa.
Songhai
largest empire in West Africa in the 1500s
Sunni Ali – stormed Timbuktu and threw out the Berbers
decline came through technology
Photo: West African Empires. Available from: Discovery Education

9. Kingdoms of the Rain Forest – page 450
Benin – empire in the rain forest
kingdoms were shielded by the rain forests
food surpluses allowed for artisans

10. East Africa – page 451
Axum – powerful Ethiopian city-state which owed its power to its location on the Red Sea.
dhow – sailboat with a triangular sail invented by Muslims
other important cities: Mogadishu, Kilwa, Mombasa, Zanzibar
Great Zimbabwe – founded around A.D. 700 by the Shona people (virtual tour)

11. Chapter 13, Section 1 Questions
Write the following questions and then answer them.
Describe the geography of Africa.
Why was salt such an important commodity?
Who was Sundiata Keita?
What natural protection did the rain foreat kingdoms enjoy?
What city-states grew as trading ports in East Africa and why were they successful?

12. Africa’s Government and Religion
Chapter 13, Section 2, page 460

13. Objectives After this lesson, students will be able to
explain how the growth of empires led to centralized governments led by kings.
discuss how traditional religions and Islam shaped African cultures.

14. Government and Society – page 461
ruler and subject
West African governments utilized central governments ruled by kings.
both sides benefited

15. Ghana’s Government – page 461
kings relied on council of ministers
lesser kings ruled provinces
chieftains oversaw their clan – a group of people descended from the same ancestor
tight grip on power

16. Mali’s Government – page 462
similar to Ghana, but on larger scale
Sundiata put generals in charge of provinces.
accepted because they were often from the province they ruled
protected people from invaders
Mansa Musa rewarded citizens with gold, land, and horses.
Military heroes were awarded the “National Honor of the Trousers.”
Songhai’s government was similar.

17. Traditional African Religions – page 463
traditional religions varied
most believed in a supreme being
some believed in a hierarchy of gods
some believed that ancestors stayed with the community
Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in Africa today.
North Africa is predominantly Muslim.

18. Islam in Africa – page 464 Mali and Mansa Musa
Mansa Musa allowed different religions, but worked to strengthen Islam.
building initiativies
A.D – Mansa Musa’s hajj journey (huge production)

19. Songhai and Askia Muhammad – page 465
Sunni Ali – poser Muslim
Muhammad Ture takes control
Askia Muhammad close support for Islam
Islam in East Africa
Swahili – language that means “people of the coast”

21. African Society and Culture
Chapter 13, Section 3, page 468

22. Objectives After this lesson, students will be able to:
describe how the Bantu migrations spread common ideas to much of Africa.
discuss how the African slave trade disrupted African society and carried African peoples and cultures around the world.

23. Life in Medieval Africa – page 469
Bantu – “the people”
migration helped spread culture across medieval Africa
spread pottery making and mining skills
responsible for common ideas and traditions

24. Importance of Families – page 469
family was the basis of African society
extended families – families made up of several generations
matrilineal – traced family descent through mothers
children extremely important (ancestors)

25. Education and Women – page 470
Children were educated by their family and other villagers.
oral histories – stories passed down from generation to generation (griots)
Queen Nzinga – battled the Portuguese slave trade

26. Slavery – page 472 slavery within Africa the European slave trade
1440s – The European slave trade was started by Portugal.
African slaves harvested sugarcane originally.

27. African Culture – page 474 “a nation of dancers, musicians, and poets”
African art
religious meaning and story telling
cave paintings were the earliest art forms
woodcarving and weaving also important
music and dance
celebrated important events
enslaved Africans used music to remind them of their homeland
storytelling
tradition of the griots