Early & Medieval

African States

Africa’s Climate• (From North to South)

– Mediterranean coast: fertile farmland

– Sahara Desert– Dry steppes (grasslands)– Savannah (grassy plains)– Rain forests– Savannah– Dry steppes– Kalahari and Namib Deserts– Southern tip: fertile

farmland

The Cradle of Life?• The oldest traces of human

existence are in Africa’s Great Rift Valley

• Human’s migrated west and north and started farming by 5500 BC

• At this time, the Sahara was not a desert but was good, fertile farmland with many water sources

• About 2500 BC, a climate change turned the Sahara into desert and the it continues to grow even today, forcing people south

“Lucy”• Remains discovered in

1974 in Ethiopia• c. 3 million years old• Homonid who walked

fully upright• 3.7 feet tall, about 65

pounds in weight• Named “Dinkenesh” in

the local African dialect, meaning “You are beautiful”

Artist’s Reconstruction of Lucy

Outside Influences on North Africa

• Carthage– Controlled much of North

Africa until defeated by the Romans

• The Romans– Controlled all of the

Mediterranean coastline– Introduced Christianity

• Arabian Muslims– 600s AD, Arab conquerors

introduce Islam, which largely replaced Christianity

Nubia or Kush• South of Egypt along the Nile was

the kingdom of Nubia• Fought and traded with the

Egyptians, adopting many Egyptian practices (like building pyramids as tombs)

• Around 750 BC, the Nubian king Piankhi even conquered Egypt

• Capital was at Meroë, a major trading post on the Nile

• Traded in gold, ivory, skins, perfumes, slaves, & iron.

• Around 350 AD, destroyed by the rival kingdom of Axum

Kingdoms of West Africa • Nomadic peoples

settled along the Niger and Senegal rivers and around Lake Chad

• These people established trans-Saharan trading routes with the Mediterranean coast to trade gold for salt

Ghana (c. 800 – 1050 AD)• Between the Niger and

Senegal rivers• Capital was Kumbi Saleh,

which was actually two separate walled cities – one for the royal court and one for trade and merchants.

• Conquered first by Muslims from the north and then by the Kingdom of Mali

Mali (1235 – 1450 AD)• Founded by legendary hero

Sundiata• Mali literally means “where

the king lives”• Controlled the gold-for-salt

trade routes• Timbuktu became a major

center of trade• Greatest king (or “mansa”)

was Musa• By about 1450, however,

Mali’s power had waned

Mansa Musa• 1312-1337 (reign)• pushed kingdom to its

largest size• brought peace and order

through Islamic justice• increased trade• made Timbuktu a center

for learning, drawing some of the world’s best scholars there

Musa’s Hajj• Musa went on pilgrimage to

Mecca in 1324-5• Took 60,000 men (including

12,000 slaves) all dressed in expensive Chinese silk

• 100 camels carrying 300 lbs of gold each, plus each slave carried an average of 1/4 pound of gold

• That totals 16 tons of gold!• The hajj exposed West Africa’s

wealth to the world, later leading to European explorers invading Africa

Songhai (c. 1464 – 1586)• Centered around the city of Gao• Conquered most of West Africa• King Askia Muhammad

– converted the people to Islam– improved government– increased trade– built many mosques and schools

• 1586, Songhai fell into civil war over royal succession– King of Morocco invaded and

conquered Songhai using gunpowder weapons

The Kingdom of Benin• centered in the rainforest• traded ivory, pepper, and

slaves• the oba (or king) was both a

political and religious leader• used elaborate bronze

sculptures, had well-organized, planned cities

• Later became one of the centers of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade

The Kingdom of Axum• Mix of African farmers and

Jewish traders• Controlled a major trade

network between 200-400 AD– Africa-India-Europe trade

triangle– Africa: ivory, hides, gold– India: iron, spices, gems,

cotton– Europe: linen, brass, copper,

tools, wine, olive oil

Early Christianity in Axum• 300s AD, royal family converted to

Christianity• neighboring peoples not Christian,

many of them became Muslim• Surrounded by Muslim neighbors,

Axum’s trade network was cut off and the kingdom declined in power

• The people of Axum (modern Ethiopia) remain predominantly Christian even today; some even continued to practice Judaism until the creation of modern Israel

East African City-states• Kilwa• Mogadishu• Sofala• All of these cities

were ports which relied on trade with India & China

Great Zimbabwe (900-1500 AD)• Located on the Lipopo

River• Rather than raw materials,

Zimbabwe traded in manufactured goods: cloth, jewelry, and tools

• Little is known about how Zimbabwe was governed

• Went into decline due to weakened trade routes and over-farmed soil

African Lifestyles• Some people were

nomadic hunter-gatherers• Some were nomadic

cattle farmers, skilled at protecting their herds

• Some were coastal fishermen

• Some were settled farmers (grains, yams, bananas)

African Governments• Some were

independent villages– usually led by a

council of elders– women held

important leadership positions

• Some were part of a larger kingdom

African Families• Some families were “nuclear”

(father, mother, & children)• Some families were “extended”

(even distant relatives lived together)

• Some societies were patrilineal (wealth/power passed from father)

• Some were matrilineal (wealth/power passed from mother)

• Person’s age often dictated their role within the society

African Religion• Some people were

polytheistic, worshipping naturalistic gods

• Some believed that a single god ruled over people and a lower system of demi-gods

• Many believed that one’s ancestors could be called on for help

• Some adopted Christianity• Many adopted Islam• A few were Jewish

Christianity vs. Islam in Africa• Islam spread faster than

Christianity because it was a better match with existing African cultural practices:– Allowed polygamy

(multiple wives)– Focused on community

rather than the individual– Clearly defined gender

roles

African Arts• Much art was either

carved wood/ivory, or textiles

• Art often had a purpose, usually religious or social in nature

• Egypt, Nubia, Axum all had written literature

• Strong oral tradition of storytelling, including through song and dance