African Societies and Kingdoms

1
African Societies and Kingdoms

• Chapter 9

2
The Continent of Africa
3
Africa until the Fifteenth Century

• Chief characteristic of history is variety
• Natural environment and trade location
• Five climate zones in Africa
• Mediterranean and extreme southern coasts
• Sahel-Sudan
• Deserts
• Rain forest
• Savanna

4
Migrations

• Many different ethnic groups made up Africa
• Berbers
• Adequate water, land, and iron tools closely
  associated with civilization
• Most of continent did not develop agriculture
• Bantu - spread of iron and reaped benefits
• Used iron weaponry to dominate tribes

5
Social and State Organization

• Basic unit of society was lineage
• Several clans made up the tribe
• Women had many freedoms, matrilineal descent
• Many people lived without a government?
• Most organized states had a king

6
The Emergence of States in Africa
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Ancient Ethiopia and Nubia
8
Kush

• Black African kingdom - emerged in the eighth
  century B.C.E.
• Partner and rival of Egypt
• Strongly influenced by Egypt - culture and
  religion - kept its independence

9
Axum

• Ethiopian highlands established by immigrants
• Conquered Kush
• Its rise coincided with its conversion to
  Christianity
• Depended on its position on trade routes
• Began to diminish with movement of trade routes

10
Trans-Saharan Trade

• Crossed desert - the camel
• Used for burden and Tuareg Berber raiders
• Challenges of route
• Intense heat/cold of desert
• Tuareg Berber raiders
• Sandstorms
• Water, poisoned wells
• South - silk and cotton cloth, beads, and dates
• North - gold, ivory, gum, kola nuts, and slaves

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Trans-Saharan Trade Routes
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Magnitude of Trans-Saharan Slave Trade

• Years Annual Avg. Total
• 650-800 1,000 150,000
• 800-900 3,000 300,000
• 900-1100 8,700 1,740,000
• 1100-1400 5,500 1,650,000
• 1400-1500 4,300 430,000

13
Ghana

• First of the Sudanese kingdoms
• Lasted for two hundred years
• King ruled through a network of chieftains
• Extensive dealings with Muslims
• Muslims very influential in Ghana

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Mali

• Mali (1250-1450)
• After fall of Ghana, chieftains made war on each
  other, Mali emerged
• Strategic trading position
• Controlled salt and gold trade
• Slave trade went through Mali

15
Mali

• Mali expanded its territories through conquests
• Mansa Musa
• Timbuktu
• Islam gained much ground in Western Africa

16
Songhay

• Songhay (Songhai) (1464-1591)
• Last of the Sudanese kingdoms
• Rose from civil war in Mali 15th Century
• Sunni Ali - 1464
• Expanded through military conquests
• Broken up by Moroccan Muslims - 1591

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Songhay Empire
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Sudanese Empires Comparison
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Sudanese Empires Timeline Comparison
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Swahili City-States

• East African city states
• Mixed cultures and languages
• Swahili
• Slave trade - extensive here
• Europeans amazed at wealth of cities

21
Great Zimbabwe

• Chief center of civilized life in southern Africa
• Most impressive monument south of Egyptian
  pyramids
• City flourished as a cultural and trading center
• Declined in the 15th century - unknown reasons
• Zimbabwe - village

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Temple
23
Great Zimbabwe
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African Arts

• African Arts
• Necessarily visual
• Tradition of excellence in art forms
• Ranged from gold and silver to earthenware heads

25
European Impressions

• Europeans arrived - collapsing sub-Saharan
  African kingdoms
• Traders took this impression back to Europe
• Europeans concluded - Africans were retarded in
  their sensitivity and degree of civilization
• Racism can be found in earliest contacts

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Summary

• Africa
• Rich history
• Diverse culture
• Contact
• Commerce
• Religion
• Culture