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Unit 4.3 African Civilizations. Extent of the Roman Republic. African Civilizations Geography. African geography is dominated by the Sahara Desert , the Nile River & Monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean to the East. Nile River. Monsoons. East African Civilizations.
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Unit 4.3 African Civilizations Extent of the Roman Republic
African Civilizations Geography • African geography is dominated by the Sahara Desert, the Nile River & Monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean to the East. Nile River Monsoons
East African Civilizations • The Axum (Askum) (900 B.C.- 600 A.D.) took advantage of their geographic location. Using the Monsoon winds & their proximity to the Middle East via the Red Sea & Nile River, the Axum played a major role in trade between the India, China & the Middle East. • Influenced by both African animistic practices, Islam and Judaism, the Axum become a Christian nation. Axum
East African Civilizations cont’d Swahili City-states • As the Axum declined cities to the south like Mogadishu, Malindi, Mombasa & Kilwa became important trading centers. Because of the diverse languages spoken in these cities a new language formed. Called Swahili, it combined Bantu, Arabic, & Southeast Asian dialects & was written in Arabic script.
West African Civilizations cont’dGhana, Mali, & Songhai • Similar to the Axum & Swahili city-states, the West African civilizations took advantage their geographic location. • The Ghana(800 A.D.-1000), Mali(1200 A.D.-1450) & Songhai(1450 A.D.-1600) controlled the North/South routes across the Sahara exchanging salt for Gold.
West African Civilizations cont’dMansa Musa Heavily influenced by Islam the Mali became a Muslim state. Prosperous from trade, the Mali built a famous mosque at Jenne. Its capital, Timbuktu, became a great learning & cultural center. Mansa Musa, Mali’s most famous leader under took a hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca & it is rumored he caused inflation everywhere he stopped because of the large amounts of gold given away.
Other African Civilizations Benin • Located in the rain forest of the Guinea coast, the Civilization of Benin came to power. They were famous for their bronze & brass sculpture work. • Later contact with Europeans & involvement with the slave trade in the 1600’s helped to end their reign. Benin warriors
Other African Civilizations cont’dGreat Zimbabwe Emerging circa 900 A.D. to 1500 the Great Zimbabwe were an agricultural based society, but did benefit from trade routes across Africa. They are best known for their architectural work with stone.