Africa 8000BCE – 600CE

Africa 8000BCE – 600CE AJ, Bailey, Courtney ,Montana, Jessica, Trenton

Enviornmental&Periodization Increase in reliable food supplies - Agricultural skills allowed people to control food production, and domestication of animals both helped to make agricultural production more efficient and increased the availability of food. Rapid increase in total human population - Reliable food supplies meant that people were less likely to starve to death. With increasing life spans came increasing reproduction, and more children meant that there were more people to tend the land and animals. Job specialization - Other occupations than farming developed, since fewer people were needed to produce food. Some early specialized jobs include priests, traders, and builders. Widening of gender differences - Status distinctions between men and women increased, as men took over most agricultural cultivation and domestication of animals. Women were responsible for raising children, cooking food, and keeping the house, but in virtually all of the early civilizations men became more and more dominant. A patriarchal system commonly developed, with men holding power in the family, the economy, and the government. Development of distinction between settled people and "nomads" - All people did not settle into communities but remained as hunters and gatherers. As more settled communities developed, the distinction between agriculturalists and hunters and gatherers grew.

River Civilizations in Africa The Nile River was the axis of two early African civilizations, Egypt and Nubia . The Nile River shaped the development of both civilizations, providing a reliable source of water for farming and linking them to sub-Saharan Africa and the Mediterranean Sea . The Nile gave them limited access to various Bantu peoples to the south and various Mediterranean peoples to the north. Although both civilizations crystallized along the Nile , they developed along different lines. Egypt unified politically earlier and more effectively than Nubia . The ruler-conqueror first united Egypt about 3100 B.C.E. Subsequently, the institution of the pharaoh as deified ruler developed during a period known as the Archaic Period(3100-2660 B.C.E.).Ancient Egyptian history is chronologically divided by dynasty and “kingdom”. The three principle periods are the Old Kingdom(2660-2160 B.C.E.), the Middle Kingdom(2040-1640 B.C.E.), and the New Kingdom (1550-1070 B.C.E.). In a number of ways the Old Kingdom is considered the classic era in ancient Egyptian history. This period is marked by the power and influence of the pharaoh being at its height, as manifest in the construction of massive pyramids for burial of the pharaohs. While pyramids were constructed during all three kingdom periods, Egyptians built the largest pyramids for their pharaohs during the Old Kingdom . Of course, these massive monuments have come to define ancient Egypt in popular culture. Arguably the most famous pyramids were constructed between 2600 and 2500 B.C.E. at Giza , two of the best known being the Great Pyramid of the ruler Khufu andthe Great Sphinx.

Technological Achievements Surely only a few of us know that many modern high-school-level concepts in mathematics first were developed in Africa, as was the first method of counting. More than 35,000 years ago, Egyptians scripted textbooks about math that included division and multiplication of fractions and geometric formulas to calculate the area and volume of shapes. Distances and angles were calculated, algebraic equations were solved and mathematically based predictions were made of the size of floods of the Nile. The ancient Egyptians considered a circle to have 360 degrees and estimated Π at 3.16.  Eight thousand years ago, people in present-day Zaire developed their own numeration system, as did Yoruba people in what is now Nigeria. The Yoruba system was based on units of 20 (instead of 10) and required an impressive amount of subtraction to identify different numbers. Scholars have lauded this system, as it required much abstract reasoning.

Technological Achievements Several ancient African cultures birthed discoveries in astronomy. Many of these are foundations on which we still rely, and some were so advanced that their mode of discovery still cannot be understood. Egyptians charted the movement of the sun and constellations and the cycles of the moon. They divided the year into 12 parts and developed a yearlong calendar system containing 365 ¼ days. Clocks were made with moving water and sundial-like clocks were used .  A structure known as the African Stonehenge in present-day Kenya (constructed around 300 B.C.) was a remarkably accurate calendar. The Dogon people of Mali amassed a wealth of detailed astronomical observations. Many of their discoveries were so advanced that some modern scholars credit their discoveries instead to space aliens or unknown European travelers, even though the Dogon culture is steeped in ceremonial tradition centered on several space events. The Dogon knew of Saturn’s rings, Jupiter’s moons, the spiral structure of the Milky Way and the orbit of the Sirius star system. Hundreds of years ago, they plotted orbits in this system accurately through the year 1990. They knew this system contained a primary star and a secondary star (now called Sirius B) of immense density and not visible to the naked eye.

Technological Achievements Metallurgy and tools Many advances in metallurgy and tool making were made across the entirety of ancient Africa. These include steam engines, metal chisels and saws, copper and iron tools and weapons, nails, glue, carbon steel and bronze weapons and art.Advances in Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago surpassed those of Europeans then and were astonishing to Europeans when they learned of them. Ancient Tanzanian furnaces could reach 1,800°C — 200 to 400°C warmer than those of the Romans.Architecture and engineering Various past African societies created sophisticated built environments. Of course, there are the engineering feats of the Egyptians: the bafflingly raised obelisks and the more than 80 pyramids. The largest of the pyramids covers 13 acres and is made of 2.25 million blocks of stone . Later, in the 12th century and much farther south, there were hundreds of great cities in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. There, massive stone complexes were the hubs of cities. One included a 250-meter-long, 15,000-ton curved granite wall. The cities featured huge castle like compounds with numerous rooms for specific tasks, such as iron-smithing. In the 13th century, the empire of Mali boasted impressive cities, including Timbuktu, with grand palaces, mosques and universities .

AFRICA 600CE – 1450CE Courtney, AJ, Bailey, Jessica, Montana, Trent

POLITICALLY 600CE-145CE (classical era 500-1200 ce) • After the Agricultural Revolution, Africa became a civilization which featured cities, states, monumental architecture, and great social inequality. • Africa lacked wild sheep, goats, chickens, horses, and camels, but its proximity to Eurasia meant that these animals became widely available to African people in the long run. • Bantu People in the South- slow movement of peoples, perhaps a few extended families at a time, but taken as a whole. -Language -Encounters between Bantu and the earlier occupied African peoples -Iron, useful for tools and weapons -disease, immunity • During the classical era, gathering and hunting peoples were displaced, absorbed, or highly eliminated • SW Africa- Kalahari people, E Africa- San people • Africa had Kingships that were legitimized by Islam, they had Islamic urban centers, Bantu migrations, trade centers • Part of the Trans-Saharan trade route • LAND OF GOLD (Ghana) • Africa sooner cooperated with slave traders and had a monarchy • Ghana (gold), trades with Byzantine Empire, and agriculture

RELIGION 600CE-1450CE • Consisted of Islam, Christianity ( In Ethiopia and Egypt) , animism (The attribution of a living soul to plants, inanimate objects, and natural phenomena), and syncretism (combining different beliefs) • Voodoocentury Caribbean colonies, traditional ancestor worship combined with Christianity to produce a religion called Voodoo. • Christianity-Europe sent missionaries to Africa to set up schools and churches, and to convert Africans to Christianity. They also tried to abolish African traditional religions, often punishing those who still practiced them. • In many parts of Africa, communities had sacred shrines where they placed offerings for the spirits of their dead ancestors. Today, during certain annual festivals, members of the community wear specials masks, sing, dance and tell stories in honour of their ancestors.

ART AND LITERACY • Rock paintings -Rock and bone pictures often depicted everyday events, such as dancing, hunting animals and fishing. Painters used animal fat colored with vegetable dyes. • Linguistic, architectural, artistic version of Christianity • calligraphy, Mosques, minarets (A tall slender tower, typically part of a mosque, with a balcony from which a muezzin calls Muslims to prayer.) • technology suffered due to slave trade • Later, you start to see Islamic art/architecture, paper making, arts suffered due to slave trade (around 1600… on)

Africa 1750 – 1914-the yellow period- bailey harper

Africa in the 1700’s-Egypt under Ottoman rule- -The Ottomans conquered Egypt between 1511 and 1520 under Selim -in 1789 the Egyptian province was difficult to control -Ottomans lost control in 1789 when the French army under Napoleon swept through and conquered Egypt. -The Ottomans regained control from 1801 – 1914 under the reign of Muhammad Ali. -Egypt was difficult for the Ottoman Sultans to control, due to the continuing power of the Mamluks, the Egyptian military caste who had ruled the country for centuries.

Africa and America • In the 1700’s Africans were being removed from their homes and enslaved; forced to work in America. • More and more Africans were brought in with the changing tobacco economy in the south. • Most of these Africans were from the African west coast and a place called Bight of Biafra, now known as Nigeria. • Nearly 250,000 Africans were imported in just 200 years.

Europeans in Africa -Europeans were hugely ignorant of the continent. -The systematic colonization of Africa, which gathered momentum in the 1880's, was not even on the horizon in the first half of the 19th century. -Europeans had confined themselves to trading mainly along the coast. Inland the trade in slaves and commodities was handled by African and Arab merchants. -With the British abolition of the slave trade in 1807, the British navy took to patrolling the coasts, intercepting other nations' slave ships. -In the 1880's European powers divided Africa up amongst themselves without the consent of people living there, and with limited knowledge of the land they had taken.

Africans in the first world war -In 1914 conflict in Europe came to a head and the First World War broke out. -The contribution of African people to the war effort was crucial -Many African-Americans living in the united states saw the war as a chance to try and win the respect of their white neighbors -The Ottoman empire joined sides with the central powers

Africa from 1914-present By: Jessica Cutler

Imperialism/Colonization Imperialism in the 1900’s began with Europe carving up Africa and raping all the resources. Especially rubber from rubber trees, the Africans were treated really harshly by getting whipped and having to put the rubber sap on their skin only to tear it off at the end of the day. The conference that was held to carve Africa up into different regions did not include the African leaders. Cutler, Jessica

Decolonization • After WW2 all the European colonies just left Africa with no economic structure, or social structure. Therefore the economy collapsed and fell apart • After that there was mass genocide of a large portion of the population in Rowanda • Most of Africa is really poor, even now, except Egypt and Sudan Cutler, Jessica

Modern Terrorism in Africa • Modern day there is a terrorist group in Africa, a Muslim group, killing native Africans. • Burning their entire villages, killing almost all the people in the villages, separating families and people closest to each other. • American forces know what is going on but cannot stop it because they don’t have weapons, are under orders not to fight against anyone (even the terrorists, even if they come after them) Cutler, Jessica

Economy • Africa’s economy is basically doesn’t exist because of the global markets, big industries, and globalization. • There are some small local markets spread through out Africa, in the small cities. • Most places get water from a dirty watering hole, with just about no education they cannot do much with their lives except what their families have always done; hunt, gather, and hold on to traditions. Cutler, Jessica

Summary • Agriculture and domestication was best way for food production • Status distinctions still had men holding more important positions in government and family • The Nile river was an economically and developing key role for Egypt and river civilizations • Egyptians scripted textbooks about math that included division and multiplication of fractions and geometric formulas to calculate the area and volume of shapes and “pie” was created • Calendar with 12 parts and 345 days was created and first clocks were made in Egypt • Dogons knew about planets and star formations • During the classical era, gathering and hunting peoples were displaced

Summary • Missionaries sent to try and convert, punishing other religions and beliefs • Starting of slave trades slowed down development • The race for Africa caused even more problems and led to genocides and civil wars • Slaves were taken advantage of but world wars caused slave trading and imperialism to almost completely stop • Africans saw the world wars as a way to get help to develop again but were ignored since most resources were already taken form the Europeans • Africa still remains mostly a undeveloped continent with north and south being the developed areas

Africa 8000BCE – 600CE