Africa from Kush to the 15th Century: Societies, Trade, and Kingdoms

1. Africa from Kush to the 15th CenturySSWH6

2. Time and Geography

4. African Geography and Climates • Many parts of Africa are isolated from other centers of human activity by geography • Continent divided into climatic and vegetative zones • Mediterranean, extreme southern coasts • Deserts • Rain forest • Savanna

5. ECONOMIC

6. Early Movements of Ideas and People African pygmies and a European explorer • Diversity • Egyptians, Berbers, Arabs • Abyssinians, Nubians, Somalis • Bantu-speaking ethnic groups • Khoisan or “Bushmen” • Pygmies • Mixed farming – pastoralism and farming • Hunting often subsidiary • Women performed most of daily drudgery

7. Early Centuries of Food-producing Revolution • Most suitable land in Nile Valley, south of Sahara • Sahara – largely cattle pastoralism • As area got drier, people moved north and south • 4000-2500 BCE, agriculture in Nile and Niger river valleys • Agriculture in rain forest depended on root crops, bananas

8. Bantu Expansion into Sub-equatorial Africa • Use of iron tools spread agriculture • Learned to breed livestock and grow grain by 1000 • Established series of small kingdoms, some of these existed when Portuguese arrived in 1500s Iron age tools

9. SOCIAL/ RELIGIOUS

10. Social Organization Societal Unit • Clan or lineage, either patrilineal or matrilineal • Lived together, some specializing in crafts, most farming/herding Religion: • Animism was universal BaKongo masks from the Kongo Central region

11. Social Organization Women: • As a rule, women were subordinate to men in public life • Some women had positions of power as queen mothers or rulers • Managed family, farming, marketing, economies of communities • Equal rights to access and inheritance of land and livestock • Rights changed when Africa came under Islam Men: • Male polygamy universal: wealth and social status • Way to extend his kinship network African women throughout history have participated in social change

12. POLITICAL

13. State Formation • Early European explorer/traders • Described “stateless” societies based on erroneous assumptions from European experience • Rules were there • Conflict and dispute resolution • Social rules and norms • Duties and privileges • Recognizable states organized on principle of divine kingship “Savage” stereotypes stem from Eurocentric views

14. THE KINGDOMS OF THE NILE • Trade throughout the history of Africa • Agriculture and livestock breeding cornerstones • Exported few manufactures internationally • Production and export of gold, ivory, animal hides, dyes, gums, and aromatics

15. THE KINGDOMS OF THE NILE • Traffic in human beings • Political power rested on control over imports: salt, dates, weapons, Chinese porcelain, textiles, and beads Figure (ushabti) of the slave from a tomb of the Old Kingdom period, Museum of Fine Arts (Budapest)

16. THE KINGDOMS OF THE NILE • Africa had links to the world through international trade and commercial networks: • First with Nile Valley and western Mediterranean world, then Sudanic states, the coastal Swahili, and Great Zimbabwe • Wider Islamic commercial nexus: eastern Mediterranean, Indian Ocean community, and Asia

17. Early States • Kush • Maritime trading partner and rival of Egypt • Closely associated with Egypt, influenced by their culture, religion • Meroe was major industrial center, principal product was iron • Red Sea trade in gold, slaves, exotic luxury goods Location of Kush

18. Early States • Axum • Challenged Kush for control of Red Sea trade in 300s • Their rise coincided with conversion to Christianity • Prosperity depended on Indian Ocean/Red Sea trade • Arab Muslims dominated sea trade from 8th century The main Obelisk of Axum is supposedly 1,700 years old.

19. TRANS-SAHARAN TRADE AND KINGDOMS OF THE SUDAN • Sudanese kingdoms: states formed 400 CE below Sahara Desert • Agriculture advanced with iron tools, good soils, and transport on Niger River • Population grew and first cities established • Gold was discovered in the Senegal River region • Trans-Saharan traderoutes: western Sudan with north Africa Course of the "River of Gold" (Senegal-Niger) in the 1413 portolan chart of Mecia de Viladestes.

20. TRANS-SAHARAN TRADE AND KINGDOMS OF THE SUDAN • Late 7th C Islam established in North Africa, western Sudan • Muslim Berberand Arabmerchants brought Sudan into international commercial system spanned southern Europe, Africa, and Asia • Trade supported state formation • Three kingdoms: • Ghana, Mali, Songhay

22. POLITICAL/ RELIGIOUS

23. Ghana • Established monopoly on gold trade • Term “ghana” referred to divine king • Muslims were influential • Conversion to Islam brought advantages • Muslims introduced concepts of law and administration Larabanga Mosque, built in the 15th century. Taken in March 2006.

24. Sudanese Kingdoms • Mali • Product of strategic trading position on southern fringe of Sahara • Relied heavily on taxes from Saharan traders of gold, salt, slaves • Expanded militarily until it dominated much of West Africa

25. Sudanese Kingdoms Size of Mali at its peak.

26. Sudanese Kingdoms • Songhai • Eventually became greatest of Sudanic states • Strongly Muslim state Location of Songhai

27. Swahili City-States • Had large hand in commercial development of continent • Entire Indian Ocean became “Islamic lake” • Swahili: local Bantu-speaking traders Swahili Arabic script on a one-pysar coin from Zanzibar circa 1299 AH (1882 AD)

28. Swahili City-States • Built seaworthy ships to sail to southern Arabia, India • Islam was binding thread of African and non-African peoples • Kilwa dominated coastal gold trade Swahili Arabic script on a carved wooden door (open) at Lamu in Kenya

29. Great Zimbabwe • Chief center of early settled life in southern Africa • We know nothing about it from written sources • Flourished as political, religious, trading center • Declined in 15th century • Internal dynastic disputes • Gold supply petered out • Natural environmental imbalances

30. AESTHETIC

31. African Arts • Visual and plastic, no writing • Benin bronzes • Wood sculptures of central Sudan • Ivory, gold of Swahili city-states • Earthenware heads of Nigeria Wood sculptures of central Sudan

32. SOCIAL

33. European Impressions • Explorer/traders saw kingdoms as subservient and backward • Slavery • Main reason Europeans thought Africans backward: uncivilized • Christian missionizing took back seat to business interests • Europeans rationalized slavery on biblical basis, local prejudice • Became basis of European and American racial prejudice The inspection and sale of a slave

34. REVIEW

35. Discussion Questions 1.Geography played a significant role in the development of African cultures over time. What other examples have you studied in other parts of the world where geography was so important? 2. Many African cultures developed around all-important trade, a factor that we have seen repeatedly throughout history. Why is trade so important; what does it offer? Besides the obvious exchange of goods, what other articles, ideas, etc. are exchanged in a trading system?