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African Civilizationand Culture:

Influenced by trade, technology and religion

Label on Africa MapMed. Sea Ethiopian HighlandsRed Sea MadagascarAtlantic Ocean Sahara Desert – outline, lightly shade

Indian Ocean Sahel – “Coastline”Nile River EquatorNiger R. Arabian PeninsulaZambezi R. EuropeLimpopo R. AsiaCongo R.

- Kingdom of Aksum

- Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali and Songhay

- Zimbabwe

Africa 500 B.C. – 1500A.D.Spread of Islam

Traditional Religion

Importance of Family

Sub-Saharan Africa

Trade

Extended Family = Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousinsClan = All sharing common ancestors

Many believed in one creator, along withAnimism = spirits in animals, plants & natural forces

Trans-Saharan trade allowed for spread of Islam to sub-Saharan Africa.

Trans-Saharan trade routes connected Med. Sea & sub-Saharan Africa.

Region of Africa below/south of Sahara Desert

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Sub-Saharan Africa

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Sahara Desert

North Africa

Africa500 B.C. – 1500A.D.

Nile

Niger

Congo

Zambezi

Limpopo

Sahara Desert• World’s largest desert• 3.5 million square miles• Next largest = Arabian – 900,000 sq. mi.• Avg. temp = 86 degrees• Hottest months = more the 120’s• Highest recorded = 136 degrees

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Trans-Saharan Trade RoutesThrough West African Kingdoms

Back to saltBack to Africa

Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

Spread of IslamThroughout Africa

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Kingdom of Aksum – A.D. 300-700

LocationNear Ethiopian highlands, Nile river& Red Sea- Terrace agriculture

TradeMajor trade kingdom between Rome & India

King EzanaKing of Aksum – Expanded territory, & adopted Christianity

DeclineAksum displaced and declines following Muslim invasion

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Aksum

Aksum connects Rome and India through trade

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Terrace Farming

Steles of Aksum

Bantu Migrations – 500 B.C.-A.D. 1500

Bantu = language family

1st Bantu-speaking lived in West Africa

They migrated to South & East Africa

Reasons for migrations•Desertification – drying of land•Slash & burn farming depleted soil.•overpopulation

http://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/ca/books/bkf3/imaps/AC_06_206_bantu/AC_06_206_bantu.html

Bantus

Major African Language Families

West African Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai

Kingdoms located at edge of Sahara Desert in West Africa

Kingdoms grew rich from two major trade items = Gold and Salt!

City of Timbuktu was center of learning in West Africa. Site of a large university

Islam eventually becomes religion of west African kingdoms.

Sahara Desert

Salt Mines

Gold Mines

GMS

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Mansa Musa• Great Mali King• Famous pilgrimage to Mecca

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Salt Mines

Gold Mines

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Salt trade from the North

Gold Mines

Salt Mines

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Mansa Musa – Great king of Mali; made pilgrimage to Mecca

Mansa Musa's famous hajj (pilgrimage) placed him in history and in the attention of the entire European and Islamic world. About the time that the Aztecs began building Tenochtitlan, the and the Ottoman Turks began the creation of their empire, Mansa Musa began his obligatory hajj to Mecca in 1324 with an impressive company. In his caravan he brought sixty-thousand people dressed in fine silk and eighty camels carrying two tons of gold. Among this throng Mansa Musa had twelve-thousand servants, five hundred of which carried staffs of gold. If this entourage had not caught the attention of the countries he crossed through, his generous giving would. Wherever he went he gave gold to the needy as given is required by a pillar of Islam. In Cairo he gave so much gold that in Egypt its value did not recover for twelve years.

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Spread of Islam to Sub-Saharan Africa

Two Mosques at Timbuktu

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Remains of great university at Timbuktu

Salt comes from the north, gold from the south, and silver from the country of the white men, but the word of God and the treasures of wisdom are only to be found in Timbuktu.An old West African proverb

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Kingdom Zimbabwe and city of Great Zimbabwe – A.D. 1000’s –1400’s

Located in southeast Africa along Indian Ocean coast.Between Zambezi & Limpopo Rivers

Location linked inland gold fields & Coastal trade cities

Capital city = Great Zimbabwe – center of wealth and prosperity in Southeast Africa

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Zimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe

Great ZimbabweCapital city of Zimbabwe

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