1. Ch. 8 Diverse Societies in Africa

2. Ch. 8 section 1 Objectives:
1. Identify the different geographic regions of Africa
2. Explain how early Africans adapted to their environments
3. Summarize the achievements of early West

3. Early Humans Adapt to Their Environments
Nomadic Lifestyle
• Earliest people are nomadic hunter-gatherers
• Herders drive animals to find water, graze pastures Transition to a Settled Lifestyle
• Agriculture probably develops by 6000 B.C.
• As the Sahara dried up, farmers move to West Africa or Nile Valley
• Agriculture allows permanent settlement, governments to develop, with a village chief or council

4. Early Societies in Africa
Societies Organized by Family Groups
• Extended families made up of several generations
• Families with common ancestors form groups known as clans
Local Religions
• Early religions usually include elements of animism—belief in spirits
Keeping a History
• Few African societies have written languages
• History, literature, culture passed on by storytellers called griots
• Cultures in West Africa are advanced long before outsiders arrive

5. West African Iron Age Learning About the Past
• Artifacts reveal how people lived in the past
• Evidence of sub-Saharan cultures producing iron around 500 B.C. The Nok Culture
Nok—West Africa’s earliest known culture—made smelted iron tools, weapons, and excelled
Djenné-Djeno
• From 600–200 B.C., cities begin to develop near rivers, oases
• Djenné-Djeno—Africa’s oldest known city (250 B.C.), discovered in 1977
• Bustling trade center; linked West African towns, camel trade routes

6. Achievements of Djenne-Djenno-1400 C.E.
*50,000 residents
*Built Mud Brick homes
-Fished, cultivated rice, herded cattle
-Traded goods for copper, gold and salt

7. Section 2-The Kingdom of Aksum
Objectives:
1. Explain how maritime trade led to Aksum’s growth
2. Give examples of Aksum’s achievements
3. Explain the effects of the Muslim invasion of Aksum

8. The Rise… Aksum’s Geography The Origins of Aksum
•Aksum—kingdom replaces Kush in East Africa; blend of Africans, Arabs
• Located on Horn of Africa, modern day Ethiopia and Eritrea
• Trading kingdom linking Africa and Indian Ocean trade routes
The Origins of Aksum
• Land first mentioned in Greek guidebook in A.D. 100
• Rulers take control of areas around Blue Nile and Red Sea
• Dynasty of Aksum rules until 1975; ends with deathof Haile Selassie

9. The Rise…cont. Aksum Controls International Trade
• Aksum is hub for caravan routes to Egypt and Meroë
• Adulis, chief port, has access to Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean
A Strong Ruler Expands the Kingdom
• King Ezana—strong ruler of Aksum from A.D. 325 to360
• He conquers part of Arabian peninsula, now Yemen
• In 350 conquers Kushites and burns Meroë to ground

10. International Culture…
Aksum Culture
•Blended cultural traditions of Arab peoples and Kushites
•Adulis population: Egyptian, Arabian, Greek,Roman, Persian, Indian
•Greek is international language
Written language: Ge’ez
Aksumite Religion
• Believe in one god, Mahrem, and that king descended from him
• Are animists—worship spirits of nature andancestors
• Exposed to Christianity by traders

11. International Culture…
Aksum Becomes Christian
Young King Ezana educated by Christian man from Syria
As ruler, Ezana declares Christianity as kingdom’s official religion
Aksum, now part of Ethiopia, still home to millions of Christians
Aksumite Innovations
Written language, minted coins, irrigation canals and dams
Aksumites invent terrace farming due to hillylocation
Terraces—steplike ridges constructed on mountain slopes

13. The Fall…
Islam
Aksum kingdom lasts 800 years; witnesses rise of Islam religion
Followers of prophet Muhammad conquer all of Arabia by 632 Islamic Invaders
Between A.D. 632 and 710, Islamic invaders leave Aksum alone
In A.D. 710, they attack port city of Adulis, causing Aksum’s decline Aksum Isolated
As Islam spreads, Aksum rulers move capital to northern Ethiopia
Isolation, soil erosion, deforestation cause loss of remaining power

14. Section 3
Objectives:
1.Summarize the causes and effects of Human Migration
2.Describe the Bantu migrations into the southern half of Africa

15. Migration of Bantu-speaking Peoples
Causes of Migration
Push-pull factors—Conditions that push people out of an area or pull them in
Effects of Migration
Brings diverse cultures into contact; changes life in the new land
Tracing Migration Through Language
One way to trace migration is to study how languages spread
Africa has many complex language families

16. Bantu-speaking Peoples
Bantu-speaking peoples—early Africans who spread culture and language
Originally lived in savanna south of Sahara; now southeastern Nigeria
The word Bantu means “the people”
Migration Begins
Bantu speakers migrate south and east starting about 3000 B.C.
Live by slash-and-burn farming, nomadic herding
Share skills, learn new customs, adapt to environment

18. Effects of the Migration
Causes of Migration
Bantu speakers move to find farmland, flee growing Sahara
Need iron ore resources and hardwood forests for iron smelting
Within 1,500 years they reach southern tip of Africa
Effects of the Migration
Bantu speakers drive out some inhabitants; intermix with others
Bantu migrations produce a great variety of cultures
Language helps unify the continent