Unit 4 – Regional Civilizations
Chapter 11 – Civilizations of Africa (2000 BC – AD 1897)
Chapter 11 Vocabulary
1. Migration - the movement from one country or region to settle
in another
2. Bantu - large group of central and southern Africans who
speak related languages
3. Savanna - an area of grassland with scattered trees and
bushes
4. Sahara - huge desert stretching across most of North Africa
5. oral history - accounts of the past that people pass down by
word of mouth
6. clan - group of families who trace their roots to the same
ancestor
7. Mansa Musa - a king of Mali in the 1300s
8. Mali - rich kingdom of the West African savanna
9. Ghana - the first West African kingdom based on the gold
and salt trade
10. Songhai - a powerful kingdom of the West African savanna
11. Ile-Ife (eelay-eefay) - the capital of a kingdom of the West African rain
forest
12. Benin - a kingdom of the West African rain forest
13. Kilwa - one of the many trading cities on the East African
coast
14. Aksum - an important East African center of trade
15. city-state - a city that is also a separate, independent state
16. Swahili - a Bantu language with Arabic words, spoken along
the East African coast
17. Great Zimbabwe - a powerful southeast African city
Chapter 11 – Civilizations of Africa (2000 BC – AD 1897)
Section 1 – Africa and the Bantu
Obj: Africa’s physical geography; the Bantu and their movement across the continent
Africa’s Physical Geography
· Tropical rain forests are located on either side of the Equator
o They have hot, moist climates
· Surrounding forests are bands of savanna
o Much of Africa is savanna
§ Lions
§ Zebras
§ Elephants
§ Deserts
· The Sahara (world’s largest desert)
· A band of lakes, deep valleys, and rugged mountains run north to south through East Africa
Africa’s physical geography affected its people and their ways
· In deserts –
o Little farming
o Little water
· On savannas-
o Herding cattle
· In rain forests –
o No herding due to flies and other pests
o Mbuti (em boo tee) people hunt and gather
The Bantu Migrations
Physical barriers formed by lakes, forests, mountains and rivers did not stop the movement of people across Africa.
· These migrations continued for more than 1,000 years
· They are among the largest population movements in all of human history
Little is known of Africa’s history south of the Sahara (Sub-Saharan Africa)
· Until modern times, the Sahara cut off this larger part of Africa from Europe
· European historians found it difficult to study
· Today, scientists and historians are working to piece together its history
o Wood and clay for building disintegrated
o Iron tools and weapons rusted and did not last
o Depending on oral history from traditional African storytellers
The Bantu
In early times, most Bantu-speaking peoples were fishers, herders, and farmers.
Villages made up of clans
· Traced their ancestry through mothers rather than fathers
· Property and positions of power passed down through the mother’s side of the family
Peoples moved slowly from their traditional homelands.
· Moved short distances in search for better farmland and grazing
· As they migrated, they entered different environments
o In many places, they had to change the way they lived
§ Raising different crops or different types of animals
The Spread of Bantu Culture
· Often Bantu people moved into areas where other people already lived
o Sometimes joined the groups living there
o Older cultures then usually adapted to Bantu culture
o i.e. Bantu introduced crops such a yams to other parts of Africa
o i.e. at other times, they forced the people already living there to leave their homes
· As the Bantu migrated, they also carried a knowledge of metalworking
o Iron tools gave them more control over their environment than older cultures
§ Hard axes
§ Sharp iron-headed spears and arrows
· These migrations continued over many generations
o In time, the Bantu had settled throughout Central and Southern Africa
Section 2 – Kingdoms of West Africa
Obj: The trading kingdoms of the West African savanna; the kingdoms of the West African rain forests
Kingdoms of the Savanna
Mansa Musa ruled Mali.
The kingdoms of the savanna controlled important trade routes across the Sahara.
The Niger River, which flows through the region, was another important trade route.
Traders traveling through these lands had to pay taxes on all their goods.
This made the kingdoms rich.
In return, the rulers kept peace and order throughout the land.
Thus, merchants and their caravans of valuable goods could travel safely from one place to another.
Even stopping in Cairo, Egypt in July 1324
Ghana, a Kingdom Built on Trade
o Salt and gold were the basis of West African trade
o Salt from mines in Central Sahara and very valuable
o Flavor food
o Preserve meat
o Maintain good health
o Scarce in the rain forest region
§ Peoples traded gold for salt
§ Some gold was sold to traders on their way to North Africa
§ Traders returned with glass and other precious North African goods
o Camels allowed traders to travel hundreds of miles across the dry Sahara
o First West African kingdom based on wealth of salt and gold trade was Ghana
o A.D. 400 – people of Ghana took control of trade routes
o Ghana’s location was ideal
§ Just north of the rich gold fields
§ Land routes south from Sahara went through Ghana
o By A.D. 800 – Ghana a major trading kingdom
o Ghana’s capital, Kumbi Salch, was divided into two cities
o One the center of trade
o One the royal city (king and court)
o Around A.D. 1000, the power of Ghana began to weaken
o Invaders from the north overran capital and other cities
o By the 1200s, it had broken into small, independent states
o Most trade in the area was controlled by a powerful new kingdom, Mali
The Powerful Kingdom of Mali
§ Centered in the Upper Niger Valley
§ Sundiata ruled and united the kingdom – 1230.
o Mali took control of salt and gold trade
o Conquered surrounding areas and increased size of kingdom
o 1255 – Sundiata died
§ Mali had grown rich from trade
§ The most powerful kingdom in West Africa
§ Continued to grow after his death
§ 1312 – Mansa Musa became ruler of Mali
o New religion from traders – Islam
o Made Islam official religion
o Religious ties between Mali (North Africa) and Muslims (Southwest Asia)
o New ties helped make Mali center of learning
§ Scholars taught religion, mathematics, medicine and law.
o Late 1300s – about 50 years after Musa died –
§ Mali’s power began to fade
§ Raiders attacked from the north
§ Several provinces broke away and became independent
§ One of these provinces became an empire - Songhai
The Rise and Fall of Songhai
During 1400s – became the leading kingdom of the West African savanna
Like rulers of Ghana and Mali, its leaders controlled trade routes and the sources of salt and gold.
Its wealth and power grew when it conquered the rich trading city of Tombouctou in 1468.
In less than 100 years, the people of Songhai began fighting among themselves
The kingdom became weaker and easily fell to the guns and cannons of the Moroccan army in North Africa.
This was the end of the rich and powerful trading empires of West Africa.
Kingdoms of the Forest
While Ghana, Mali and Songhai developed on West Africa’s savanna, other kingdoms arose in the rain forests to the south of these grasslands.
§ People were not Muslim
§ They were polytheist
Two most important kingdoms were centered around the cities of Ile-Ife (ee lay ee fay) and Benin (beh neen).
§ Both located in present-day Nigeria
§ Trade with savanna kingdoms made these forest kingdoms powerful and wealthy.
§ These cities supported larger populations than other rain forest regions
Ile-Ife: A Center of Culture and Trade
§ Became a major cultural trading center about A.D. 1000
§ Its powerful leaders were known as onis (oh neez)
o Little is known about these people other than traditional stories told by these people describe it as “the place where the world was created”
o Reasons:
§ Modern town of Ife located on top of earlier city
§ Thickly forested and damp
§ Trees cover old sites outside the town
§ Rains have washed away old mud buildings
§ Dampness rusted iron and rotted wood and fabrics
§ Artifacts that survived are sculptures
o Dated between 1100s and 1300s
o Discovered only in the last 100 years
o Life-like
o May be portraits of powerful onis of Ile-Ife
Benin Rules an Empire
§ City dates to the 1200s
§ At this time workers mined copper, iron and gold
§ Its powerful leaders were known as obas (oh buz)
o Sold slaves to African traders
o Slaves forces to work as servants to rich families on the savanna
o Others joined slaves from Europe and Asia to work in North Africa
§ 1500s – reached greatest strength and size
§ Oba controlled:
o Large army
o Priests
o Government workers
o Less important local chiefs
§ It ruled the trade routes along the rivers to the north and south
§ It became immensely rich
§ Ruled much of present-day southern Nigeria
§ Remained strong until 1600s
§ Like Ile-Ife, became a center of art.
§ Obas hired skilled artists who made beautiful objects from:
o Bronze
o Brass
o Ivory
o Copper
§ Even though artists borrowed some cultural traditions from Ile-Ife, exact relationship between the two kingdoms is unclear
**Artists of Benin and other West African kingdoms influenced modern artists in Europe and the Americas.
Section 3 – East Africa’s Great Trading Centers
Obj: Powerful East African civilizations, including Aksum and Lalibela; the importance of East Africa’s coastal cities
Ancient Ethiopia
Thousands of years ago, rich civilizations began to develop in southern Arabia and northeastern Africa along the Red Sea.
By A.D. 1, the city of Aksum, located in present-day Ethiopia, was an important East African center of trade
Aksum, a Center of Trade and Christianity
§ Although located in the mountains, 100 miles inland, it controlled a trading port at Adulis on the Red Sea
§ Conquered much of modern Ethiopia and southwestern Arabia
§ It grew steadily in strength and wealth
§ Traded as far as India
§ Main trade good – valuable ivory
§ Also traded ideas and beliefs
§ A. D. 300s – King Ezna of Aksum learned about a new religion – Christianity
o King became Christian
o Made Christianity the official religion of his kingdom
o Most people under his rule converted to Christianity
§ Kept control of major trade routes linking Africa with Europe and Asia for several hundred years
§ A.D. 600s – Muslims fought with its rulers for control of the Red Sea trade routes.
o Muslims eventually conquered the coastal ports
o Relieving Aksum of its power and wealth
Lalibela and the Spread of Christianity
After Aksum lost power, Christian kings of the region built churches and monasteries¸ but did not build a new capital.
Instead:
§ Moved from place to place around the kingdom
§ Lived in royal tents
§ Accompanied by thousands of citizens and servants
Many neighboring lands converted to Islam, but present-day Ethiopia remained Christian
Cast off their mountainous home, the Ethiopians had little contact with other Christian peoples.
In time, their churches developed unique customs and traditions:
§ Resting their foreheads against the outside wall of the church and kiss it to show respect
§ A.D. 1200 – King Lalibela had people carve their churches into solid red rock, instead of building them from the ground up. (These churches are in a town named Lalibela in honor of the king) Churches are still used today by Christians of Ethiopia.
Rich Centers of Trade
After Muslims gained control of Indian Ocean trade, trade centers developed along the east coast of Africa.
Each of these ports was a city-state
By 1400, there were about 30 city-states along Africa’s Indian Ocean coast.
Trade thrived in East Africa
§ Gold and ivory from Africa
§ Luxury goods from Muslim traders
§ Muslim traders from Arabia brought religion and language to city-states
The City-State of Kilwa
§ Merchants of Kilwa traded inland goods with port goods
§ Contact between Africans and Arabs in Kilwa and other coastal city-states led to a new culture and language – Swahili
o Swahili was spoken all along the East African coast
o Most people on the coast converted to Islam
§ 1500s – Portuguese troops conquered trade routes, but influence of Swahili culture remained.
o Today, Swahili is an official language in Kenya and Tanzania
o Most East Africans use Swahili for business
o Islam is still an important religion in the region
Great Zimbabwe
§ Inland area south of Kilwa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers
§ Much of the gold mined there
§ Also grew rich and powerful through trade
§ Believed to be founded by about 1100
§ People ancestors of today’s Shona people
§ Most people in the area were poor farmers
§ Some had large herds of cattle
§ Richest were the leaders who controlled the gold trade
o These leaders and their families lived among impressive stone-walled structures
§ Great Zimbabwe thrived for hundreds of years
§ Believe to have reached its peak before the early 1400s
§ By 1500, the city had fallen
o Favor of trade routes may have moved to other centers
o Farmers may have worn out the soil
§ Its ruins still stand today in the present-day nation of Zimbabwe