Non Egyptian Ancient African Civilizations

1. Non Egyptian Ancient African Civilizations World History Libertyville High School

2. Nubia / Kush • Area between Second through Fifth cataracts of Nile • Area between 2nd and 3rd cataracts = Nubia • Area between 3rd and 5th cataracts = Kush • Conquered by Egypt around 2000 BC • Ruled by Egypt as client state • Served as major trading center between Egypt, African societies

3. Nubia / Kush • After failure of New Kingdom ca. 1000 BC, Kush re-emerged • Conquered Nubia • Considered selves as proper heirs to Egyptian state, pharaoh title • Adopted Egyptian titles, society, architecture • Kushites / Nubians then invaded Egypt, as liberators • After short time, Assyrians pushed Nubians out of Egypt • Cut Nubians from Med., Middle East, Europe

4. Western Africa and the Sahara • Evidence of human settlers in W Africa from 12000 BC • Ca. 5000 BC, herders, dry farming communities • Ca 3000 BC, Sahara savannah began turning into a desert • Farmers, herders, migrated towards coasts • Desertification isolated W Africa coastal peoples

5. Western Africa and the Sahara • Around 400 BC, contact made with Carthage and trade commenced • Traded gold from SW for salt, iron goods, advanced mfgr’ed goods • Diffusion of iron production gave W Africans big advantage over neighbors • ability to expand farming • Made better weapons • Formed city-states and empires in the AD period

6. West African Societies • Urban Development • Earliest stone walled towns developed in Mauritania, around 2000 BC • Towns emerged ca. 600-200 BC in Sahel (S of Sahara) • All towns grew up around oases, rivers

7. West African Societies • Major technological development: Iron smelting by 1400 BC • Bantu Migrations, 1000 BC – 1000 AD • Bantu = N-Central African language group • Migrated into rain forests of Congo, E into African Highlands • Imposed language, spread iron smelting & high yield agriculture • Founded Great Zimbabwe Kingdom around 800 AD

8. Sub-Saharan (Central and Southern) Africa to 600 BC • Political organization: none(family groups) • Hunter-gatherers • Technological development = stone, bone tech • Religion • Animism: spirits of natural world, animals, geographic locations

9. Why Didn’t Complex Society Develop in Sub Saharan Africa? • Persistence of hunter-gatherer bands • Abundance of game • Lack of external human threats to lifestyle • Persistence of subsistence farming • Lack of high yield crops • Lack of domesticable animals • Lack of irrigable waterways • Geographic considerations • Lack of natural harbors • Geographic barriers (Sahara) assured isolation