Historical sources

1
Historical sources

• Archeological evidence
• Linguistic evidence
• Genetic relations between languages
• Borrowing of words

2

• Oral traditions
• Remembered by professional class, clan
  histories
• Written documents
• Greek and Roman
• Arabic
• European

3
Ancient African History

• All Africans were originally foragers
• Farmers displaced foragers in all areasexcept
  the rain forest and desert
• Bantus spread from Nigeria/Cameroon throughout
  eastern and southern Africa.
• Migration began about 2000 years ago
• Bantu languages have common words for cattle,
  yam, oil palm, not for cereals.

4
Early African agriculture

• 4 different sets of crops
• Mediterranean
• Savanna
• Forest
• Ethiopia

5
Religions in Africa

• Christianity
• Adopted as official Ethiopian religion in 320 CE.
  Also practiced in Egypt and Sudan.
• In other areas, introduced with beginning of
  exploration (16th century) or later

6
Introduction of Islam

• Islam arose in Arabia early 7th century
• Spread to North Africa through conquest from 8th
  century
• Spread further south through traders and
  voluntary conversion

7
Islam in Africa

• Islam accepted first by trading people
• Advantage of literacy, part of international
  community, less concerned with agricultural
  ritual
• Rulers of Ghana not Muslim but Muslim bureaucrats
• Rulers of later Sahel states were Muslim

8
Formation of States

• Western Sudan reason for states
• Increase in population south of Sahara
• Meeting of different ecological zones desert
  and savannaProtection from nomads
• Development of caravan trade stimulated
• economy

9
West African States

• Ghana 500-1235 CE
• Desert edge
• Collected duties on salt and gold
• Tributes from vassal states
• No standing army
• Not very centralized government

10

• Mali 900s-1400s
• Not desert edge, upper Niger valley
• Controlled some of gold and salt producing
  regions
• Standing army
• Rulers Muslim Mansa Musa did haj

11
African states

• Local African development
• States in western Sudan best knownbut there were
  states in many other parts of Africa
• Stateless societies continued alongsidestates

12
Early African Trade

• East Africa
• By lst century CE, annual trade with Arabiaand
  Persiaexport gold, ivory, tortoise
  shellimport glassware, metal tools, porcelain
• By 700 CE, Muslim Arab traders linked East Africa
  with India, SE Asia, China, Persia

13

• West Africa
• Caravan routes linked savanna and North Africa
  by 800 CE
• Trade links between savanna and forestregions
• East-west trade along coast

14
Africa was not homogenous

• Physical diversity of continent
• Cultural diversity
• Languages
• Subsistence type
• Political organization
• Religion

15
Africa was not static

• Changes through time
• Development of agriculture
• Rise of technology
• Migrations
• Formation of states

16
Africa was not totally isolated

• Contact with North Africa, Europe, Middle East
• Trade with Arabia, India, China
• Settlement of Indonesians

17

• Why was Africa not as advanced as western Europe?