Transcript Chapter 8 Early Civilizations in Africa

Chapter 19
Trading Kingdoms of West Africa
A Satellite View
I. North Africa
II. Sub-Saharan Africa
A. West Africa
B. East Africa
C. Central Africa
D. Southern Africa
Ancient African History
X All Africans were originally foragers
X Farmers displaced foragers in all areas
except the rain forest and desert
X Bantus spread from Nigeria/Cameroon
throughout eastern and southern Africa.
Mfecane
X Migration began about 2000 years ago &
took nearly 1500 yrs
X Bantu languages have common words for
cattle, yam, oil palm, not for cereals.
The Emergence of
States in Africa
The Niger River Basin
# Covers 7.5% of the continent.
# Extends over 10 countries.
# 2,600 miles long.
West Africa
ä Caravan routes linked savanna and
North Africa by 800 CE
ä Trade links between savanna and forest
regions
ä East-west trade along coast
Trans-Saharan Trade Routes
The Sahel
GHANA
300-1076 CE
X Sonike People
X Desert edge
X Ghana (Warrior King)
X Koumbi Saleh – Capital City (50,000 people)
X Wealth/Power came from:
ä Duties collected on salt and gold trade
ä Tribute from vassal states
X No standing army
X Not very centralized government
EL-BEKRI
1067 CE
X “The King of Ghana can put 200,000
warriors in the field, more than 40,000 of
them being armed with bow and arrow.”
X In 1066, the Normans led by William the
Conqueror, invaded England with the
largest army ever seen in Europe (10,00015,000 men).
Fall of Ghana
X 1076 the capital of fell to the Almoravid
Berber jihad , launched from Morocco.
X The once great Empire decomposed into a
number of small feuding kingdoms.
Mali 900s-1400s
X Not desert edge, upper Niger valley
X Mandingo People
X Niani-capital city
X Timbuktu-center of learning
X Wealth/Power came from:
ä Duties collected on salt and gold trade
ä Tributes from vassal states
ä Control of some of gold and salt
producing regions
X King Sunjata Keita (ruled ca. 1245-1270) of
the Malinke conquered the Sosso and
gained control of the trans-Saharan trade
routes.
X Empire of Mali expanded, reaching its
height under the rule of Kankan Musa
(ruled ca. 1312-1327).
X Standing army
X Rulers Muslim
Introduction of Islam
X Islam arose in Arabia early 7th century
X Spread to North Africa through conquest from 8th
century
X Spread further south through traders and voluntary
conversion
Africa was not totally isolated
X Contact with North Africa, Europe,
Middle East
X Trade with Arabia, India, China
X Settlement of Indonesians
MALI
C. 1100-1450 CE
X Mansa Musa 1307-1332 key ruler
MANSA
MUSA
Mansa Musa
1312-1337
From Mali to Mecca 1324 CE
X
X
X
X
Accompanied by a retinue of 60,000 people
There were 600 slaves each of whom carried a bar of
gold weighing about 4 pounds and 300 camels each
laden with 300 pounds of gold
Musa stayed in Cairo for a few weeks. He spent and
gave away so much gold that the value of the Egyptian
currency was depressed for at least 12 years
Fame spreads to Europe as “the richest and most noble
king in all the land.”
Great Mosque of
Djenne was built
in the 13th century
by Koy Konboro -Djenne's first
Islamicized ruler.
He had his palace
destroyed, and the
first Great Mosque
built in its place.
In 1906-1907 the
current Great
Mosque was
rebuilt on the site.
SONGHAY
X Sunni Ali
X Askia Muhammad
X City Gao, Timbuktu
c. 1400-1600
1464-1492
1493-1538
IBN BATTUTA c. 1352 CE
X “Among the admirable qualities of these people, the
following are to be noted:
X The complete and general safety one enjoys throughout
the land
X The small acts of injustice that one finds there; for the
Negroes are of all peoples those who most abhor
injustice”
Religions in Africa
X Christianity
ä Adopted as official Ethiopian religion in 320 CE. Also
practiced in Egypt and Sudan.
ä In other areas, introduced with beginning of exploration
(16th century) or later
Islam in Africa
X Islam accepted first by trading people
ä Advantage of literacy, part of international community,
less concerned with agricultural ritual
X Rulers of Ghana not Muslim but Muslim
X Rulers of later Sahel states were Muslim