Early African Societies

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Early African Societies The Bantu Migrations
(2)

• Early Agricultural Society
• in Africa
• Climatic Change the
• Development of Agriculture
• in Africa
• Early Sudanic Agriculture
• Climatic Change
• The Nile River Valley

The Nile Valley
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Early African Societies

• Early Agricultural Society in Africa
• Early Agricultural Society in Africa
• Egypt and Nubia
• Gifts of the Nile
• Early Agriculture in the
• Nile Valley
• Political Organization

The Nile Valley, 3000-2000 B.C.E.
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Early African Societies

• The Unification of Egypt
• The Archaic Period
• the Old Kingdom
• Relations Between Egypt Nubia
• The Early Kingdom of Kush

The Narmer Palatte
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Early African Societies

• Sources From The Past Harkhufs Expedition to
  Nubia

The majesty of Pharoah Mernere, my lord, sent
me together with my father. . .to the Nubian
kingdom of Yam to open the way to that country.
I did it in seven months I brought from it all
kinds of beautiful and rare gifts, and was
praised for it greatly
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Early African Societies

• Sources From The Past Harkhufs Expeditions to
  Nubia

When you arrive at the residence and this pygmy
is with you live, hale and healthy, my majesty
will do great things for you, more than was done
for the royal official Bawerded in the time pf
King Isesi, in accordance with my majestys wish
to see this pygmy.
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Early African Societies

• Imperial Egypt
• Turmoil Empire
• The Middle Kingdom
• The Hyksos
• The New Kingdom
• Egyptian Imperialism
• The Revived Kingdom
• of Kush

Imperial Egypt, 1400 B.C.E.
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Sesostris III Middle Kingdom
Pyramid of Khufu
Tutmosis New Kingdom
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Early African Societies

• The Formation of Complex Societies and
  Sophisticated Cultural Traditions
  
• The Emergence of Cities and Stratified
  Societies
  
• Cities of the Nile Valley
• Social Classes
• Patriarchal Society

Imperial Egypt, 1400 B.C.E.
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Early African Societies

• The Formation of Complex Societies and
  Sophisticated Cultural Traditions
  
• Economic Specialization and Trade
• Bronze Metallurgy
• Iron Metallurgy
• Transportation
• Trade Networks

Imperial Egypt, 1400 B.C.E.
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Early African Societies

• The Formation of Complex Societies and
  Sophisticated Cultural Traditions
  
• Early Writing in the Nile Valley
• Hieroglyphic Writing
• Education
• Meroitic Writing

Imperial Egypt, 1400 B.C.E.
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Hieroglyphs

• Sacred Writings
• Preserved on papyrus, made from reeds
• Simplified form hieratic script, 2600 BCE-600
  CE
  
• Rosetta Stone, discovered 1799
• Hieroglyphs
• Demotic (popular)
• Greek
• Pictographs
• Meroitic language recorded in alphabet after 5th
  century BCE
  

Rosetta stone
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The New Kingdom

• Few pyramids, but major monumental architectural
  projects
  
• Engaged in empire-building to protect against
  foreign invasion
  
• Local resistance drives Egypt out of Nubia
• Kingdom of Kush revives c. 1100 BCE
• Invasions of Kushites, Assyrians destroy Egypt
  mid 6th century BCE

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Hatshepsuts Funeral Temple
Abu Simbel
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Egyptian Urban Culture

• Major cities along Nile river, especially at
  delta
  
• Memphis c. 3100 BCE, Heliopolis c. 2900 BCE
• Nubian cities include Kerma, Napata, Meroë
• Located at cataracts of the Nile
• Well-defined social classes
• Pharaohs to slaves
• Archaeological discoveries in Nubia also support
  class-based society
  
• Patriarchal societies, notable exceptions female
  Pharaoh Hatshepsut (r. 1473-1458 BCE)
  

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Economic Specialization

• Bronze metallurgy introduced late, with Hyksos
  invasion
  
• Development of iron early, c. 900 BCE
• Trade along Nile river
• More difficult in Nubia due to cataracts
• Sea trade in Mediterranean

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Early African Societies

• The Formation of Complex Societies
  Sophisticated Cultural Traditions
  
• The Development of
• Organized Religious Traditions
• Amon Re
• Aten Monotheism
• religious turmoil
• Amarna Heresy
• Mummification
• Cult of Osiris
• Nubian Religious Beliefs

Temple to Amon Karnak
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Nefertiti
Akhenaten
Akhenaten
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Tutankhamen
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Early African Societies the Bantu Migrations

• Bantu Migrations Early Agricultural Societies
  of Sub-Saharan Africa
  
• The Dynamics of
• Bantu Expansion
• The Bantu
• Bantu Migrations
• Iron Migration

The Bantu Migrations, 2000 B.C.E. 1000 C.E.
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Early African Societies the Bantu Migrations

• Bantu Migrations Early Agricultural Societies
  of Sub-Saharan Africa
  
• Bantu Religion early monotheism
• Deistic views as well
• Prayers to intercessors, e.g. ancestor spirits
• Great variations among populations
• Migrations
• Migration throughout sub-Saharan regions
• Population pressures
• Bantu language
• Over 500 variations of original
• 90 million speakers
• By 1000 BCE, occupied most of Africa south of the
  equator

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Key Words Terms (2)

• Nile River ValleyEgyptiansNubiansMenes
  (Unification of Egypt) Old/Middle/New KingdomAmo
  n, Amon-Re, Aten hieroglyphic writing Papyrus
  
• Mummification Cult of Osiris

• The HyksosKingdom of Kush Hatshepsut Hyksos
  Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton) Amarna heresy The
  Bantu migration