Unit 2Africa, Americas, Islam, Byzantine, Russia

Africa

Geographic contrasts & challenging environments

Sahara, Sahel Deserts, Savannas, Rainforest

Nomadic to agricultural, pastoral herders

Droughts, floods, tsetse fly Nok – early iron age civilization

Djenne – Djeno city

Migration

Permanent move from one place to another

Environmental, Economic, Political

Push-Pull factors Push – drought, war, persecution Pull – jobs, land, religious freedom

Migration cont.

Effects of migration Population change Cultural diffusion Ideas and technology Quality of life improves Clashes between groups Depletion of environment Employment opportunities Spread of language

Bantu Migration

Bantu – language group, not one but a group who shared cultural characteristics Farmers, nomadic herders, used iron

Bantu began to move from south of Sahara to South Africa. Why? Produced lots of food through farming, population

increased, then not enough land to go around Sahara advancing Moved south into forests – wood for smelting iron

Split and covered all of Africa over 1,500 years

Bantu Migration

Effects of migration Conflicts between Bantus and others;

wars Exchanged ideas, intermarried New agricultural tools, technology Shared ideas about government, culture,

language These helped unify the people

Today 240 million people speak version of Bantu language, most speak Swahili

Chapter 15 – West AfricaGhana, Mali, Songhai

Camels had enabled effective trade across Sahara

Ghana (by 700) was a rich trade kingdom Gold and salt – key trade items Arab traders also involved in Saharan trade

(caravans) Islam spreads through Africa this way Some Africans clung to animism (belief that

spirits lived in animals, plants, etc.) Wars disrupted gold-salt trade and Ghana

declined

West Africa

Mali (1235) emerged Also involved in gold-salt trade Found new mines and shifted east creating

larger kingdom Sundiata – Mali’s first great leader Mansa Musa – famous Mali king Muslim, built mosques Strong govt., military, divided into provinces Built mosques in Timbuktu and it became a

leading center – judges, doctors, scholars, etc. After Mansa Musa, Mali declines

West Africa

Songhai (1400’s) Expands further under two Muslim

leaders (Sunni Ali and Askia) Further spread and advanced government Lacked modern weapons Moroccan Arabs invaded with gunpowder

and canons and defeated Songhai (swords & spears)

Collapse of 1,000 period of great kingdoms in West Africa

Americas

Beringia (land bridge) connected Asia and North America

Ice Age had locked up vast amounts of water exposing land

Nomadic tribes crossed in search of game (mammoth most important)

Possibly 20,000 years ago Ice Age ended, ice melted and land covered Spread to the tip of South America Shift to agriculture leads to settlement, villages Maize (corn) important

The Olmec

Mesoamerica (central America) Olmecs – first civilization builders (1200 BC) Rainforest made life difficult but contained

salt, tar, clay for pottery, wood, rubber Rivers allowed for transportation Built enormous stone sculptures Worshipped many gods (jaguar spirit

important) Extensive trade network Collapsed – either invaded or destroyed own

civilization after death of leaders.

The Zapotec

Developed in what is now Mexico (Oaxaca) Monte Alban – prosperous city atop

mountain Controlled Oaxaca Valley for 1,000 years Eventually declined for unknown reasons Olmec and Zapotec left behind legacy of

trade, sculpture, evidence of religious and spiritual rituals, language, urban centers

The Maya

250 – 900 – built a flourishing civilization in Southern Mexico

Spectacular cities ruled by god-kings, temples, palaces, pyramids, etc.

Chichen Itza – one of the most famous Mayan cities linked by trade Cacao beans could serve as currency

(chocolate ) Slash and burn agriculture – maize, squash,

beans Also used terracing for agriculture

The Maya

Worshipped many gods Made sacrifices, sometimes human,

to the gods (Chichen Itza – large sinkhole)

Studied math, astronomy, physics Calculated an exact calendar (off

by .00002 of a day by modern standards)

Used zero Advanced system of writing - glyphs

The Maya

Mysterious disappearance (700’s) Possible explanations

Warfare disrupted trade Population growth Over farming Toltecs from the north

By the time of the Spanish arrival (1500’s), weak and fractured civilization

See page 451

The Aztecs

Lived in the valley; Mexico (1300’s) Tenochtitlan major urban center Empire grew through conquest, trade,

brutally suppressed those who challenged them

Emperor most important Military leaders and priests important Widespread use of slaves Worshipped many gods and had rituals

and ceremonies

The Aztecs

Human sacrifices to the sun god on a massive scale

Thousands killed atop the Great Temple

Hearts carved out with obsidian knives

Victims were POW’s, criminals, slaves

Goal of conquering was to take prisoners for sacrifice

Arrival of the Spanish led to the conquest of the Aztecs (disease, horses, guns)

The Incas

High plateau in the Andes Mountains, Peru (1200’s)

Powerful military and government Allowed the conquered to keep their

customs so they sometimes just surrendered

Cuzco the capital city Government controlled economy

(unlike Aztec and Maya who allowed private commerce)

The Incas

All required to work for the state certain days of the year; were cared for too

A type of ancient “socialism” No writing system – oral tradition God-Kings (polytheistic also) Machu Picchu discovered in 1912 (p.

462) Civil war weakened Incas Spanish conquered them

Islam

Arab nomads, Bedouins, organized into tribes called clans

Extensive trade routes throughout Middle East and Africa

Mecca – in Arabia; worshiped at shrine called Ka’aba (associated with Abraham, prophet and believer in one god)

Allah and belief in one god was known in Arabia

Islam

Muhammad – orphaned at 6, raised by grandfather and uncle

Married Khadijah, wealthy older businesswoman

Revelations from Gabriel – He was the messenger of Allah

All other gods must be abandoned Islam – “submission to the will of

Allah” Muslims – followers of Islam

Islam

Met with hostility from those who feared neglect of traditional Arab gods

Hijrah – fled from Mecca to Medina – turning point; gathered many followers

630 returned to Mecca, thousands converted; only destroyed idols

Five Pillars Faith - Allah Prayer - mosque Alms - charity Fasting - Ramadan Pilgrimage – (Haj) to Mecca

Islam

Other customs and morals – no pork, liquor, Friday worship, no priests or central authority

Qu’ran – holy book (Arabic) Sunna – Muhammad’s example is the

best model for life Shari’a – law that regulates morals,

family life, community life, etc. After Muhammad’s death, Abu-Bakr

chosen as first caliph

Islam

Promised to uphold teachings of Muhammad

Some began to abandon faith Bakr invoked jihad (“striving”), also

means an armed struggle against nonbelievers

Greatly expanded Islam – by 750, empire stretched from Atlantic to Indus!

Attracted by the equality of Islam Allowed conquered people to keep

their faith

Islam

Split in Islam Shi’a – believed caliphs needed to be a direct

descendent of Muhammad Sunni – followers of Muhammad’s example

Today, approximately 85% Sunni, 15% Shi’a Important cities grew: Damascas, Cordoba,

Cairo, Jerusalem, Baghdad 4 classes:

Muslims at birth Converts to Islam Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians Slaves

Islam

Astronomy – observatories, astrolabe Literature – Thousand and One Knights Art – calligraphy (can’t reproduce image of

Muhammad), textiles, ceramics, mosaics, etc. Architecture – some Roman influence, baths Medicine – medical books, eye surgery, idea

of infectious diseases, hygiene, quarantine (Ibn Sina)

Developed algebra Ibn Battuta – travels and geography Ibn Sina – medicine and science

Byzantine

See separate Power Point