Africa

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Africa

• The Rise of Complex Early Civilizations
• Classical Period
• Post- Classical Era

By Christine L, Jaspreet G, Mina H, Morgan F
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The Rise of Complex Early Civilizations

• 3500-1000 BCE

-Egypt -Nubia
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Egypt 2575 BCE- 1070 BCE
Old Kingdom 2575- 2134 BCE
Middle Kingdom 2040-1640 BCE
New Kingdom 1532-1070 BCE

• Nile River
• Hieroglyphics
• Mummies
• Ships and Chariots
• Horses and Bronze Metallurgy

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Egypt

• Pharaoh
• Classes
• Slaves
• Women
• Pyramids
• Maat

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Egypt

• Pharaoh
• Capital
• Records
• Independence and Fragmentation

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Egypt

• Isolationist
• Assyrians
• South
• Nubia

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Nubia 2300 BCE-300 CE

• 5 hundred years of Egyptian domination
• Corridor for trade between tropical Africa and
  Mediterranean
• Exported many natural resources
• Intermediary location natural wealth Rise of
  Nubia
• Nile River was main geographical feature
• Lots of arable land

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Nubia Kush, Egyptian Influence
2000 BCE- Rise of Kush in Nubia 800 BCE- Rise of
Kingdom at Napata

• Kings of Kush assembled and organized to build
  monumental walls and structures of mud brick
• New Kingdom Egypt Kingdom of Kush destroyed
• Nubia ruled by Egyptian officials
• Egypt seriously exploited Nubian gold mines
• Egyptian culture forced on Nubian people
• 712-660 BCE, kings of Nubia ruled all of Egypt

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Nubia Kingdom of Meroë
400 BCE- 300 CE

• Nubian kings and queens
• Worshiped many Egyptian gods, Nubian deities
• Built stone temples to Egyptian gods- Amon
• Women of royal family played important role
• Had matrilineal system

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Nubia Kingdom of Meroë

• Nubian pottery surpassed that of Egyptians
• Skilled in metallurgy
• Built cities based on Egyptian models
• Abandoned Egyptian hieroglyphs
• Major center of iron smelting
• Decline linked to changes in trade routes and
  long distance commerce

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Classical Period

• 1000 BCE- 600 CE

• Nubia (Kingdom of Meroë)
• Carthage
• Trans- Sub-Saharan Africa
• Ethiopia
• Ghana

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Classical
Period
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Carthage 814 BCE

• Immigrants from all over Mediterranean and
  Sub-Saharan Africa came to make fortunes
• Had a fleet of fast and maneuverable warships
• Settlement prospered and grew rapidly
• One of the largest cities in the world

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Carthage

• Claimed the waters of Western Mediterranean
• Traded perishable goods, textiles, animal skins,
  slaves, and raw metals with civilizations in the
  Mediterranean
• Also traded with sub-Saharan Africa
• 264-202 BCE Struggle with Rome for control of
  Western Mediterranean

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Carthage

• Two judges were elected each year from upper
  class families
• Senate was real seat of power

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Carthage

• Had many gods
• Members of the upper class sacrificed their own
  male children at times of crisis
• Navy was most important form of defense
• Good economy and political resources, shared
  interests of all Phoenician communities of the
  west

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Trans-Saharan Caravan Routes

• Environments
• Religion
• Camels
• Gold and Salt
• Slaves
• Tropical Goods

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Post-Classical Period

• 600-1450 CE

• Trans- Sub-Saharan Africa
• Ghana
• Mali
• Benin

• Morocco
• Ethiopia
• Kongo
• Great Zimbabwe

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Ghana 750 CE-1076 CE

• Land of Gold
• King had absolute power
• Large army of bowmen and cavalry
• After 1076, many people converted to Islam
  because of Almoravid strength in Morocco
• Over time, Muslims came to hold high economic
  power
• Dominance in the trading system

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Ethiopia 300 CE- 1500

• King Lalibela, ruled Christian kingdom of
  Ethiopia between 1180-1220
• Tradition of rock sculpture
• Mosques, Churches, temples were centers of
  education and prayer

Church of Saint George, Ethiopia
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Ethiopia

• Mid 13th century- Yoseph, settled in Christian
  Ethiopia, acted as an advisor
• Dynasty that ruled Ethiopia after 1270 claimed
  descent from Solomon from south Arabian
  princess Sheba
• Solomonic Ethiopias consolidation was
  associated with increase in trade through the Red
  Sea part of Zeila

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Ethiopia

• Conflicts with Muslims because of efforts to
  control over trade
• Christians withstood Muslim advances
• Muslims- promoted literacy among their sons so
  they could read religious texts
• Spread of literacy spread of Islam
• Arabic characters used to write local languages

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Ethiopia

• Growth of powerful states domestic slavery
• Status of slaves depended on skill and gender
• Between 1200 to 1500, 2.5 million African slaves
  were traded
• Regularly sent captives for sale to Aden traders
  at Zeila

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Ethiopia

• Most household slaves were female, were also in
  great demand as entertainers and concubines
• Lowest grade of horse was sold for 5 times as
  much as an ordinary female slave
• Women did much of the farm work and were skilled
  in food production

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Mali 1240-1500

• Founded by an African dynasty
• Prosperous due to control of gold and copper
  trades and contacts with North African Muslim
  traders
• Government was highly praised
• Mansa Kankan Musa-powerful Muslim ruler

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Mali

• Controlled core trading area of the upper Niger
• Were eager to promote Islam
• Empire began to disintegrate after two centuries

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• Rise of Complex Early Civilizations (3500-1000
  BCE)
• Egypt
• Nubia
• Classical Period (1000 BCE- 600 CE)
• Nubia (Kingdom of Meroë)
• Carthage
• Ethiopia
• Ghana
• Trans- Sub- Saharan
• Post-Classical Era (600- 1450 CE)
• Trans- Sub-Saharan Africa
• Ghana
• Benin
• Mali
• Morocco
• Ethiopia
• Kongo

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Observations and Themes

• Complex Early Civilizations
• Worshipped many gods and deities
• Ruled by kings
• Queens were important
• Agriculture depended on rivers
• Classical and Post-Classical
• Less densely populated, climate/ environment
  accounted for differences in culture and
  technology
• Many civilizations gained power through trade and
  strong economy
• Religions were monotheistic (Christianity, Islam)
• Slavery was big- Mali and Ethiopia traded slaves
  with Tropical Asia
• Trade and many empires grew due to Islamic
  presence

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African Civilizations