Kingdoms and Trading States of Africa

1. Kingdoms and Trading States of Africa

2. Early African Societies • Organized into lineages • Large families that believe to have common ancestors • Stateless Society – lineage groups take the place of governments – no central gov’t.

4. West Africa Landscape • By A.D. 100-farming villages were settled and expanding • Some would grow into towns with local rulers • Villagers traded their surplus food and a trade network opened up • Linked to other parts of Africa, Mediterranean and the Middle East

6. Trade Routes • Caravans would cross the Sahara • Carried leather goods, kola nuts, cotton cloth, slaves, silk, steel, glass beads and horses • Gold and Salt dominated the Sahara trade • Cities developed along the trade routes • Monarchs gained control of the profitable trade routes

8. Gold Wealth of Ghana • 800 A.D.-Kingdom of Ghana was created • King controlled gold-salt routes across West Africa • Traders would meet in Ghana, king would collect tolls for the goods • Ghana became known as “the land of gold” • Islam will spread through trade and hired officials

10. Introduced new things to Ghana • By the 1100s-Ghana will decline and be swallowed up by Mali

11. Mali • Founded in 1250 • expanded influence over gold and salt, towns sprung up over the path of the trading route • Greatest emperor-Mansa Musa • Expanded Mali’s borders westward, pushed north to conquer others • Converted to Islam • Based his system of justice on the Qur’an

13. Songhai • 1450-new kingdom-Songhai • Sonni Ali-created the largest state in West Africa • Askia Mohammad set up a Muslim dynasty, expanded the territory of the Songhai • Set up a bureaucracy, built mosques, schools

15. Timbuktu • 1400s-became a leading center of learning

16. Prospered until 1586 when disputes led to civil war • Morocco attacked and West Africa became splintered into small kingdoms

17. Other Kingdoms of West Africa • Hausa-thriving trade centers • Under the ruler Amina-came to dominate Saharan trade routes • Benin-organized in 1300s • Palace was elaborately decorated • When the Portuguese arrived, the slave trade opened up

19. Trade Routes of East Africa

20. Askum • 350 A.D.-King Ezana absorbed Nubia • Introduced Hebrew religious traditions to Askum • Commanded a triangular trade network linking Africa, India, and the Mediterranean world • Converted to Christianity • 600s-Islam came to dominate North Africa

22. Will slowly decline due to civil war

23. Ethiopia • Claimed descent from Solomon until the fall of the last emperor in 1974 • Survived due to Christian faith and geography (mountainous terrain) • Absorbed many traditions

25. East African City-States • Arabs and Persian merchants set up Muslim communities • Bantu-speaking people migrated and adopted Islam • Asian immigrants added to the culture • Thriving trade (including slaves) were sold to Persia

26. City-states will become diverse • Islam influence will grow

27. Great Zimbabwe • Reached its height around 1300 • Created a profitable trade link with coastal cities • Had gold resources • God-king and bureaucracy • By 1500 Zimbabwe was in decline