Ancient Africa

1500 B.C. – 1500 A.D.

Georgia State Standards SSWH6: The Student will describe the diverse characteristics

of early African societies before 1800 C.E.• Identify the Bantu migration patterns and contribution to

settled agriculture.• Describe the development and decline of the Sudanic

kingdoms (Ghana, Mali, Songhai); include the roles of Sundiata, and the pilgrimage of Mansa Musa to Mecca.

• Describe the trading networks by examining trans-Saharan trade in gold, salt, and slaves; include the Swahili trading cities.

• Analyze the process of religious syncretism as a blending of traditional African beliefs with new ideas from Islam and Christianity.

• Analyze the role of geography and the distribution of resources played in the development of trans-Saharan trading networks.

African Geography Desert

• Sahara dominates northern Africa• Kalahari largest desert in southern Africa

Savanna• Best areas for herd animals and growing of grains

Rainforest• Diverse life forms and natural resources, very difficult

to travel through or live in• Tsetse flies

Mediterranean• Small region in northern Africa that supports abundant

life

Tsetse Fly & African Sleeping Sickness

Early Sub-Saharan African Life East Africa was the beginning of human

life• “Lucy”

Nomadic herders• Masi and other groups still practice

Agriculture develops (~6,000 B.C.)• Permanent settlements develop• Animism = ?• Griots = ?

West African Iron Age• Nok Culture (Niger River Valley)

• Trade city of Djenne-Djeno• Use of Iron tools

Push-Pull Factors

Chart page 221 3 main migration factors

• Environmental

• Economic

• Political

Migration of the Bantu Peoples

Trace the Bantu Migrations on your map of Africa (page 222)

Where did they go? How did they adapt to each region?

• Slash & burn

• Raising cattle

• Adopting new crops

Why did they migrate?• Agriculture led to more land use and great population

Effects of Bantu Migration

Forced interaction between different groups (BaMbuti and San)• Some mixed, some left, some

fought Brought new technologies to

regions Brought Bantu ideas about politics

and social organization Centralized language branch

throughout the continent

Kingdom of Aksum South of Kush

• Modern day Ethiopia and Eritrea

International trade center (Adulis)

• Caravans to Egypt through Meroe

• Access to Mediterranean Sea & Indian Ocean through Red Sea

• Exported: salt, ivory, emeralds, gold

• Imported: cloth, glass, wine, iron, copper

Kingdom of Aksum (cont.) Ezana (325 – 360 A.D.)

• Expanded territory into Arabian Peninsula (modern day Yemen)

• Conquered Kush

• Converted to Christianity• Made official religion for Aksum

Decline &Isolation• Islamic invaders began to cut

into the empire and take-over trade routes

• Moved to the mountains of northern Ethiopia• Remained isolated for a few

hundred years

West African Societies

Ghana (700 – 1076 A.D.) Use of camels led to development

of the trans-Sahara trade routes Gold-Salt Trade

• Arab and Berber traders

• Gold from western Africa, salt from Sahara

Empire of Ghana developed from taxing trade routes

Ghana’s kings convert to Islam• Led to literacy (learning to read the

Qur’an) 1076 – Muslim Almoravids

conquered

Mali (1235 – 1400s) Gold deposits east of Ghana

allowed Mali empire to gain wealth and power by moving the trade routes

2 important leaders• Sundiata

• United Mali• Led to period of peace and

prosperity

• Mansa Musa (1312 – 1332)• Muslim leader• Expanded empire to twice the size

of Ghana• Hajj to Mecca in 1324-1325

exposed riches of Mali to Arab peninsula

• New trade centers develop (Timbuktu and Gao)

Songhai (1400s – 1500s) Gained control of trade routes due to

gold deposits near Niger River (Gao) 2 important leaders

• Sunni Ali• Muslim leader

• Conquered Timbuktu & Djenne

• Military hero

• Askia Muhammad• Overthrew Sunni Ali’s son

• Spread more orthodox Islam

• Efficient and fair ruler Conquered by Moroccans in 1591

(guns)

East Coast Trade Cities Islamic Influence

• New trade centers on Indian Ocean after fall of Aksum

• Spread Muslim religion along trade routes

• Slave trade Swahili language group

• Mix of Bantu & Arabic City-states

• Kilwa, Sofala, Mogadishu Great Zimbabwe (1200s – 1450)

• Shona people’s in south-eastern Africa

• Controlled trade routes

• Disappeared suddenly Portuguese Conquest (1488)