Early African Civilizations

1. Early African Civilizations Chapter 7

2. The Development of Civilizations in Africa • Africa is the second largest continent in the world • It has several geographic zones, including the largest desert, the Sahara • Between the Saharan desert and the Kalahari desert, as well as others, 40% of Africa is desert • Africa has four climates ranging from desert, with minimal rain to rain forest climate that has rains so heavy that travel and farming are almost impossible

3. The Development of Civilizations in Africa • About 7-8,000 years ago African people began to tame animals and grow crops • This lead to three civilizations: Egypt, Kush, and Axum • Eventually, Islam would become important in the development of African Empires

4. The Development of Civilizations in Africa • By 2000 BC trade between Egypt and Nubia began to occur • Nubia is where ivory, ebony, fankincense, and leopard skin came from • Nubia freed itself from Egypt in 1000 BC and became an independent state • In 750 BC the Kushites conquered Egypt, but were pushed back by the Assyrians in 663 BC • For the next several hundred years the Kush were a major trading empire with exports such as irovy, gold, ebony and slaves • Little is known about their society

5. The Development of Civilizations in Africa • The Kush declined as the Axum took power • Axum was a colony of Arabs which settled in modern Ethiopia • They owed their prosperity to trade • They exported ivory, frankincense, myrrh, and slaves • King Ezana made the official religion Christianity, but after his death Islam would challenge this

6. The Development of Civilizations in Africa • The Axum Christians and the Muslims lived peacefully for a while • The Muslims tried to gain ground inland which affected the Axum’s access to ivory • By the early 15th C. the Axum and the Muslim state of Adal were involved in deep conflict

7. Kingdoms and States of Africa • Ghana was the first great trading state in West Africa • It emerged in 500 AD • The kings ruled without formal laws • They depended on well trained regular armies to do the work • Their economy was mainly based on gold • They used Berbers, nomads, who would caravan goods across the desert

8. Kingdoms and States of Africa • As Ghana collapsed in the 1100s, several others rose in its place • Mali was established in the mid-13th C. by Sundiata Keita • He is considered the founder of the nation • Their main export was gold and salt • Mansa (king) Musa ruled from 1312-1337 • He doubled the size of the kingdom • He made his pilgrimage to Makkah, where along the way he gave gold to his hosts, causing the value of gold to decrease • When he returned he had mosques built in Timbuktu and made it an intellectual capital for Islam • Mail fell into civil war in 1359, leading Songhai to become the next dominate kingdom

9. Kingdoms and States of Africa • The Songhai expanded under rule of Sunni Ali • Sunni Ali spent much of his reign on horseback leading the military into battles • He conquered Timbuktu and Jenne which gave him control over the gold and salt industries • Muhammad Ture overthrew the son of Sunni Ali, creating the Askia (usurper) dynasty

10. Kingdoms and States of Africa • Muhammad Ture’s reign took the Songhai into great prosperity and then decline • In the 16th C. the sultan of Morocco took over much on Songhai

11. Kingdoms and States of Africa • The eastern side of the continent developed differently • Farming people who spoke dialects of the Bantu languages moved from the Niger River region into the east • They moved as small communities (slow) as opposed to conquering hordes • There were subsistence farmers, meaning they only planted enough to live off of, not enough to sell • They were the ones who spread the knowledge of iron and high-yield crops like bananas and yams across Africa • They eventually became the prosperous city of Great Zimbawbe

12. Kingdoms and States of Africa • The Bantu speaking people began to develop trade in along the Indian Ocean, leading to port cities such as: Mogadishu, Mombasa, and Kilwa • In the 14th C. they build the Great Mosque of Kilwa and the Husuni Kubwa palace • Other wealthy people built their homes around it (note: these homes included indoor plumbing) • Arab traveler, Ibn Battuta, commented that Kilwa was “one of the most beautiful towns in the world” • Kilwa declined, and by 1505 the Portuguese finished the job

13. Kingdoms and States of Africa • As time passed, a mixed African-Arabian culture emerged known as Swahili • Swahili comes from the Arabic word “coast”, thus meaning “people of the coast” • This lead to the Muslim religion and Arabic architecture becoming part of the African culture as well as an integrated language • Today, Swahili is the national language of Kenya and Tanzania

14. Kingdoms and States of Africa • South Africa didn’t develop as quickly as the north • Many areas were called stateless societies meaning they were independent villages organized by clans and lead by a local ruler