Early Africa

1. Early Africa

2. The first civilizations of Africa left behind few written records • They taught their culture through stories and legends • For archeologists to study these people, they had to study their legends and the artifacts left behind by the people

3. Geography and Environment • Africa’s geography and climate have played pivotal roles in the development of civilizations in Africa • There are deserts, grasslands, mountains, and fertile river valleys in Africa

4. Africa can be divided into 2 regions • 1.) North Africa: • Mild temperatures • Frequent rainfall • ****between North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa is the Sahara Desert**** • 2.) Sub-Saharan Africa: • All of Africa south of the Sahara Desert • There is a great plateau in the area—Sahel Plateau • Moderate rainfall • Savannas dominate the area—treeless grasslands

5. On the eastern side of the Sahel Plateau is the Great Rift Valley • The valley is a large crack in the earth’s surface • 40 miles wide • 2000 feet deep • 3000 miles long • Stretches from the Red Sea to South Africa

7. There are 2 major rivers in Sub-Saharan Africa • 1.) Niger • 2.) Zaire (Congo)

8. Kush • The Kush civilization existed in Africa around 2000 BC • The Kush were located on the upper Nile River • They developed a strong economy based on trade • They had been under Egyptian control • The Egyptians used Kush cities as trading posts • They traded goods such as ivory, gold, and lumber

10. 1100s BC: the Kush were able to break free from Egyptian control • The Kush became culturally and politically independent • By the 700s BC, the Kush had kings that ruled over nearly all of Egypt • The Kush made their capital at Napata • 671 BC: Egypt was invaded by the Assyrians who easily defeated the Kush • The Kush’s bronze weapons were no match for the iron weapons of the Assyrians

11. The Kush were forced out of Egypt • The Kush learned to make iron from the Assyrians • The Kush built a new capital at Meroe • Meroe became an important iron producing city • Eventually, a new civilization will invade the Kush and totally end the Kush civilization • The new enemy was Axum

12. Axum—A Christian Kingdom • Axum was located along the Red Sea • Axum was a major trading power • Axum adopted a lot of Roman culture • The people of Axum adopted Christianity when Rome adopted Christianity • AD 330: The King of Axum made Christianity the official religion of the kingdom

13. Axum began to fall apart when Muslim merchants and soldiers began raiding Axum’s trading ships • The Axum were forced to move into the interior of Africa where they established a new kingdom—Ethiopia

14. The Nok—Sub-Saharan African Kingdoms • Between 700 and 200 BC, the Nok had established a civilization in the Niger and Benue River valleys • The Nok had some knowledge of iron work • The Nok farmers used iron tools to help them produce a surplus of food • The Nok over farmed their land—the land stopped producing enough food for the people • The Nok were force to move in order to survive • They needed to find more suitable farmland

15. The Nok’s migration to find new lands to farm has been called the Bantu Migration • The Nok migrated into central, eastern, and southern Africa • As these people migrated, they developed different cultures • They all spoke languages based on the Bantu language family • Some followed the Niger River, others went into the rain forest, still others moved onto the savannas to raise cattle

16. Village Life: • The different groups that migrated into the different regions of Africa formed close knit communities in their villages • Families were very close • Some villages were matrilineal—tracing your ancestry through your mother, not your father • When a girl married, she became a member of her husband’s family • In return for their daughter, the bride’s family received tools, animals, and cloth—a payment for losing their daughter

17. Before marriage, members of the family had specific duties • Boys 10 and under herded cattle • Girls 10 and under helped plant and harvest crops • Boys and girls 12 and over could take part in religious ceremonies—they were considered adults

18. Religious Beliefs • Most Africans were polytheists—believing in more than 1 god • The main gods controlled the lesser gods • The lesser gods controlled everyday occurrences—storms, rain, crops growing, etc. • Many African groups also believed the spirits of the dead were roaming around with the living—ghosts

19. African Empires and Kingdoms • Sub-Saharan Africa contained many resources that people could use in order to thrive and survive • Gold • Copper • Iron • The African people began trading with Muslim merchants • This trade led to lots of wealth and power for the African civilizations • Three of these civilizations will become powerful based on this trade—Ghana, Mali, Songhai

20. Ghana: • Ghana became one of the richest trading empires in Africa • Ghana was located between gold and salt mines—making the kingdom very wealthy • Salt proved to be more valuable than gold—used to preserve foods, especially meats • Gold was traded to get salt • Between AD 300 and 1200, the kingdom was nearly 100,000 square miles in size

21. Muslim merchants would come to Ghana to trade goods to get salt • AD 800: Ghana was at its trading height • Muslim ideas poured into Ghana from the Muslim merchants • At the end of the AD 1000s, Ghana was attacked by a group of Muslims from Northern Africa • The Kingdom was split up and no longer existed

23. Mali: • Mali started life as a small state within Ghana • Once Ghana was invaded and split up, Mali broke away and created its own kingdom • Mali had some very powerful and influential kings

24. 1.) Sundiata Keita: • Began developing an empire by taking over his neighbors • By the AD 1200s, Mali had taken the lands of old Ghana • Keita wanted his empired to be prosperous • He re-established the old trade routes • He cleared land to help farmers produce more crops: • Peanuts • Rice • Sorghum • Yams • Beans • Onions • Grains—Wheat and barley

25. 2.) Mansa Musa (1312-1332): • Considered the greatest King of Mali • Used his powerful army to protect trade and monitor trade routes • Introduced Islam to his people • Had many mosques bulit in the capital of Timbuktu • Timbuktu became an important center of Muslim art, architecture, and learning • By AD 1500, Mali had split up

27. Songhai: • The kingdom of Songhai was located along the Niger River • The people were farmers, traders, and fishermen • During the AD 140s, Sunni Ali was able to take over a lot of land, including Timbuktu • Sunni Ali was a Muslim

28. Sunni Ali’s son was not a Muslim, but worshiped the ancient African gods • When Sunni Ali died, his son took the throne • Ali’s son was not very popular and was soon overthrown in favor of a Muslim ruler • The new ruler of Songhai was Askia Muhammad • Songhai reached its highest point under Askia Muhammad

29. Askia Muhammad ruled from 1493 until 1528 • He divided Songhai into 5 provinces • Each province had its own tax collectors, governor, a court, and trade inspector • Muhammad was a very devout Muslim • He made laws based on the Islamic religion • Major crimes carried very harsh punishments

30. 1528: Muhammad is overthrown by his own son • The kingdom falls into civil war over who should be in control of Songhai • 1589: The Moroccans take over Songhai