Ancient Africa Chapter 7 pg.59

Social Studies6th Grade

Ms. Lourdes Martinez

Africa• Ancient Egypt was the first civilization in Africa. Egypt is located in northern Africa. This area is seperated from the rest of Africa by a huge desert called the Sahara.

• South of the Sahara, the land and climate of Africa are different. In some areas ther are thick rain forests and grassy plains that are called savannah.

• Land south of the Sahara is called sub-Saharan Africa.

• Many scientists believe that humankind first began and developed in Africa.

Chapter 7

• Africa is also famous for its history. In this chapter we will discover and learn about different kingdoms that existed in Africa long ago.

1.-The Ancient Kingdom of Kush

• More than 2,000 years ago, an African king named Piankhi traveled down the Nile River with his army and defeated Egypt.

• For hundreds of years after this, the Kingdom of Kush was the most important civilization in Africa.

• Kush was located just south of Egypt. They learned from the Egyptians how to write and how to build pyramids. But the pyramids of Kush were something different.

• The capital of Kush was a beautiful city called Meroe. It is said that the streets were filled with elephants!

• They used the elephants to carry gold and other things to far away places. They were some of the first traders, since they would travel great distances on their elephants.

The Ancient Kingdom of Kush

• To the south of Kush was a land called Ethiopia. Axum was the most important city in Ethiopia. About 1,700 years ago, the people of Axum conquered and destroyed the city of Meroe.

• Axum soon became a great trading city. People sailed their boats from Asia to ports along the Ethipian coast.

• They traded clothing and jewels for gold, ivory, and other riches.

2.-The Rise of Axum

3.-The Kingdoms of West Africa• Far to the west of Kush

and Ethiopia, another kingdom began to grow about 1,800 years ago. The ruler of this new kingdom was known as Ghana, which means “king of gold.”

• Later the word ghana was used as the name for his kingdom.

• Ghana remained strong for almost 800 years. Then warriors from the north invaded Ghana and took over.

• The warriors from the north who conquered Ghana came from a kingdom called Mali. Mali means “where the king lives.”

• Under the king Mansa Musa, Mali became a center of learning, as well as a rich kingdom.

• In 1324 Mansa Musa set out to visit Egypt. He traveled in a caravan. A caravan is a group of people and animals that travel together.

• He appeared in Egypt with thousands of travelers from Mali. His camels were loaded with hundreds of pounds of gold to trade.

4.- The Empire of Mali

The Empire of Mali