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AP World History

This chapter explores the origins of agriculture in early African societies, particularly in the Nile Valley and Sahara. It discusses the transition from nomadic herding to settled agriculture, with significant milestones like the domestication of cattle and the cultivation of sorghum around 7500 B.C.E. The role of the Nile in supporting agriculture and emerging political structures is examined, alongside the unification of Egypt under Menes and the construction of monumental architectures like the Pyramids. Additionally, the chapter delves into Bantu migrations and their influence on sub-Saharan Africa and early religious practices.

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AP World History

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  1. AP World History Chapter 3 Early Egyptian and African Societies

  2. Development of African Agriculture • Sahara desert originally highly fertile region • Western Sudan region nomadic herders, 9000 B.C.E. • Domestication of cattle 7500 B.C.E. • Later, cultivation of sorghum, yams, increasingly diverse • Widespread desiccation of the Sahara 5000 B.C.E.

  3. The Gift of the Nile • Gradual, predictable flooding • Alluvial deposits support productive agricultural society • “Gift of the Nile”

  4. Early Agriculture in Nile Valley • 10,000 B.C.E. migrants from Red Sea hills (northern Ethiopia) • Introduce collection of wild grains, • 5000 B.C.E. Sudanic cultivators, herders migrate to Nile River valley • Adaptation to seasonal flooding of Nile through construction of dikes, waterways • Villages dot Nile by 4000 B.C.E.

  5. Impact on Political Organization • As in Mesopotamia, a need for formal organization of public affairs • Need to maintain order and organize community projects • Egypt: simple, local irrigation projects • Rural rather than heavily urban development • Trade networks develop Shaduf style of Irrigation

  6. Unification of Egypt • Legendary conqueror Menes, 3100 BCE, unifies Egyptian kingdom • Sometimes identified with Narmer • Tradition: founder of Memphis, cultural and political center of ancient Egypt • Instituted the rule of the pharaoh • Claimed descent from the gods • Absolute rulers, had slaves buried with them from 2600 B.C.E. • Most powerful during Archaic Period (3100-2660 B.C.E.) and Old Kingdom (2660-2160 B.C.E.)

  7. The Pyramids • Symbols of the pharaoh’s authority and divine status • A testimony of the pharaohs’ ability to marshal Egypt’s resources • Largest Khufu (Cheops), 2.3 M limestone blocks, average weight 2.5 tons • Role: burial chambers for pharaohs Sphinx of Giza

  8. Relations with Nubia • Competition over Nile trade • Military conflict between 3100 and 2600 B.C.E. • Drove Nubians to the south • Established kingdom of Kush, ca. 2500 B.C.E. • Trade, cultural influences continue despite military conflict

  9. The New Kingdom • Few pyramids, but major monumental architectural projects • Engaged in empire-building to protect against foreign invasion • After New Kingdom, local resistance drives Egypt out of Nubia • Kingdom of Kush revives ca. 1100 B.C.E. • Invasions of Kushites, Assyrians destroy Egypt mid-sixth century B.C.E. Hittite and Egyptian Empires

  10. Egyptian Urban Culture • Major cities along Nile River, especially at delta • Memphis 3100 B.C.E., Heliopolis 2900 B.C.E. • Nubian cities • Located at cataracts of the Nile • Well-defined social classes • Pharaohs to slaves • Archaeological discoveries in Nubia also support class-based society • Patriarchal societies, notable exceptions: female pharaoh Hatshepsut (r. 1473-1458 B.C.E.)

  11. Economic Specialization • Bronze metallurgy introduced late, with Hyksos invasion • Development of iron early, 900 B.C.E. • Trade along Nile River • More difficult in Nubia due to cataracts • Sea trade in Mediterranean

  12. Hieroglyphs Papyrus paper and plant • “Holy inscriptions” • Writing appeared at least by 3200 B.C.E. • Survives on monuments, buildings, and sheets of papyrus • Hieroglyphs for formal writing, hieratic script for everyday affairs used from 2600 B.C.E. to 600 C.E. • Greek alphabet adopted – demotic and Coptic scripts • Meroitic writing: flexible system borrowed from hieroglyphs, represents sounds rather than ideas

  13. Development of Organized Religious Traditions • Principal gods Amon and Re • Religious tumult under Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) (1353-1335 B.C.E.) • Introduces sole worship of sun god Aten • One of the world’s earliest expressions of monotheism • Death of Akhenaten, traditional priests restore the cult of Amon-Re to privileged status Amon Aten

  14. Mummification and the Afterlife • Inspiration of the cycles of the Nile • Belief in the revival of the dead • First: ruling classes only, later expanded to include lower classes • Cult of Osiris • Lord of the underworld • Power to determine who deserved immortality • Held out hope of eternal reward for those who lived moral lives

  15. Bantu Migrations, 3000-1000 B.C.E. • Bantu: “people” • Migration throughout sub-Saharan regions • Population pressures • Over 500 variations of original Bantu language • 90 million speakers • By 1000 B.C.E., occupied most of Africa south of the equator Bantu Migrations

  16. Bantu Migrations, 2000 B.C.E.-1000 C.E.

  17. Bantu Religions • Evidence of early monotheism • Deistic views as well • Prayers to intercessors, e.g. ancestor spirits • Great variations among populations

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