African Societies

Geography• Waterfalls from the plateau make travel impossible• Coastline has few ports or harbors• Deserts are unlivable (Sahara and Kalahari); each

year the desert takes over more land (Sahel)• Rainforest canopies allow tsetse fly to prevail,

which prevents farming near the rainforest because animals can’t live there. (Also prevented Europeans from colonizing these areas)

• Northern coast and southern tip of Africa are habitable and densely populated

Geography Continued• Most people live on the savannas (grassy plains)Early Humans Adapt• Many early humans were nomads (San from

Kalahari and BaMbuti from Congo rf’s) , others learned to domesticate animals for food (Masai of Tanzania)

Transition• Agriculture began around 6000 BC, after a period of

increased rains. People moved to savannas to grow grain

• Farming in the rain forests included root crops that needed little sun such as yams

• Agriculture allowed people to build permanent settlements, and allowed for reliable food supply

• Permanent settlements require governing bodies (village chief and councils in some, kingdoms in others)

Early Societies• Societies south of the Sahara are based on the

family (clan)• Local religions emerge that include animism- belief

where spirits play an important role in daily life• Few societies had written language, so griots passed

stories down by mouth

West African Iron Age

• Evidence found in pottery, charcoal, and slag• Sub-Sahara skipped Bronze and Copper age and go

straight to Iron (MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT around 500 BC)

• Nok Culture- culture of ppl who live in West Africa (present day Nigeria).

• Nok were the first African ppl to know how to smelt iron

• Iron used for farming tools and hunting weapons

• In the region South of the Sahel, cities develop between 600-200 BC.

• Djenne-Djeno is located on the Niger River (W. Africa). This is the oldest known city south of the Sahara

• Scientists discover thousands of artifacts (pottery, hair ornaments, clay toys, knives, jewelry)

• Djenne-Djeno was home to 50,000 people who lived in mud huts (later mud brick homes); also become a trading center linked to other African cities

Migration: Bantu Peoples• Permanent move from one country/region to

another• Push-full factors- factors that either push people

out of an area or that pull them into an area• Results of migration:1. Population density may change because of population redistribution 2. Cultural blending3. Share of technology and ideas4. Conflict between newly joined groups5. Environment/employment conditions may change; causing a 2nd migration

• One way that scientists can trace migration is through language

• Bantu (“the people”) speakers live in S.S Africa (modern Nigeria), and their language has transformed into more than 900 cousin languages

• The Bantu were farmers and nomads who developed iron working. They began moving south and east around 2000 years ago

• Needed to migrate because of their agricultural technique (s&b)

• They needed to migrate because agriculture raised population in West Africa

• When moving into new lands, the Bantu had an advantage in combat because their weaponry was superior to the local clans

Kingdom of Aksum• Originated by King Solomon’s son and Queen of

Sheba, but rises to importance under Ezana• Access to sea trade on the Mediterranean and

Indian Ocean allow international trading superiority• City of Adulus becomes the chief seaport of the

kingdom• Ezana was educated by a Christian man from Syria

who was captured, and Ezana eventually makes it the kingdom’s official religion

Innovations• Terrace farming- using steplike ridges in the ground

to prevent being washed out by heavy rains• Built dams and cisterns (holding tanks)• Minted its own coins• Developed a written language

Fall of Aksum• Lasted for 800 years, but declined under Islamic

invaders (632-750 AD)• Aksum moves it capitol across the mountains into

modern day Ethiopia. The new geography (depleted forests and soil) led to its demise.