Kingdoms and Trading States of Africa

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Kingdoms and Trading States of Africa
StefaniGoglia A period
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Africas Geography
Africa is the second largest continent
It has five climate zones The Rain Forest, the
Savanna, the Desert, The Mediterranean, and Dry
Woodlands.
The most populated is the savanna, or grassy
plains
The varied regions offer a variety of mineral
resources including salt, gold, iron, copper,
diamonds, and oil.
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Migration of Early People
By 2500 B.C. the process of desertification
devoured thousands of acres of fertile cropland
that used to be in the Sahara.
Desertification caused people to migrate,
contributing to the rich diversity. West African
farmers migrated south and east between 1000 B.C
and A.D 1000. The root of their diverse languages
was Bantu.
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The Nile Kingdom Of Nubia
The ancient kingdom of Nubia, also called Kush,
was located in present day Sudan.
In 750 B.C they conquered Egypt but were invaded
by the Assyrians and forced to retreat south.
Nubian Sculpture
By 500 B.C, Nubian rulers have moved their
capitol to Meroe. They controlled a large trade
network and was rich in iron ore
Eventually the Nubians were overwhelmed by the
Kingdom of Axum in about 350 B.C
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North Africa
Early African civilizations had strong ties with
the Mediterranean world. Carthage dominated trade
in this region. They forged a vast empire and
created outposts in England and France. Rome
Eventually Crushed Carthage in The Punic Wars.
Under Roman rule, Christianity spread to North
Africa. They developed roads, dams, aqueducts,
and cities there. They developed its farmlands
and North Africa also provided soldiers for the
Roman Army.
In the 600s, Arab armies carried Islam into North
Africa. It replaced Christianity and Arabic
replaced Latin as its language. Muslim Traders
in North Africa carried Islam into West Africa.
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Kingdoms Of West Africa
Mali, Ghana, and Songhai were among the richest
of the West African states. They dominated the
Sahara trade.
Two products that dominated the Sahara trade were
gold and salt. These commodities, or valuable
products, were plentiful.
Sahara Trade Routes
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Ghana, Mali, and Songhai
In A.D. 800 the rulers of the Soninke people
united many farming villages to create Ghana. It
was called the land of gold. The capitol of
Ghana was Kumbi Saleh which was comprised of two
separate towns. Muslim merchants brought their
Islamic faith to Ghana. They also introduced
their written language coinage, buisness methods,
and architecture. In time Ghana was overtaken by
Mali.
Sundiata founded the kingdom of Mali. Malis
kings were called mansas. The greatest emporer of
Mali, Mansa Musa, expanded Malis borders and
worked to keep peace. He converted to Islam and
actuallly fulfilled one of the five pillars of
Islam by making the hajj. He formed diplomatic
and economic ties with other Muslim states,
increasing Malis renown.
Gao, a wealthy trading state became the capital
of Songhai. Its leader, Sonni Ali, made it the
largest stateto have ever existed in West Africa.
He followed traditional beliefs. After his dead
Askia Mohammed set up a Muslim dynasty and set up
a bureaucracy. He also completed the hajj which
improved histies with the Muslim world. After the
fall of Songhai this part of West Africa
splintered into many small kingdoms
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Other Kingdoms of West Africa
The fertile Northern Lands of Modern day Nigeria
were home to the Hausa people. By the 1300s they
had built a number of clay-walled cities/ Their
city-states remained independent but expanded
into thriving commercial centers. Kano was the
most prosperous. Kanos greatest king was Muslim.
The Hausa developed a written language based on
Arabic. Many Hausa rulers were women.
Benin rose in the rainforests of the Guinea
coast. They carved out farming villages and
traded goods such as pepper, ivory, and, later,
slaves to their neighbors in the savannah. An
oba, or king, was both political and a religious
leader. Other figures, such as a queen mother,
had power also. Benin city was the capitol. It
was decorated elaborately with brass sculptures
and plaques.
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Axum
Axum extended from the mountains of present day
Ethiopia to the shores of The Red sea. The
people of Axum were descendants of African
farmers and traders who brought Judaism through
Arabia. This merging of cultures introduced
another religion to Axum. It also gave rise to
the spoken language of Geez. Axum Commanded a
triangular trade network that connected Africa
and India and the Mediterranean world.
In the 300s Axums king converted to
Christianity and the religion took hold among the
people. When Islam began spreading Axum became
isolated from its own trade network. Axums
political and economic power faded but its
cultural and religions influences did not. Their
descendants, Ethiopian Christians, kept ties with
the Holy Land despite their isolation. They saw
their country as a Christian outpost.They adopted
East African drum music and dances that are still
in Church services today.
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East African City-States
Commercial cities, including Kilwa, Mogadishu,
Mombasa, and Sofala, rose along the East African
Coast. Phoncecian, Greek, Roman, and Indian
traders visited the coast and under the
protection of local rulers, Arab and Persian
Merchants set up Muslim Communities Offshore
islands were ideally located for trade with Asia.
East African rulers saw the advantages of trade
and welcomed ships from Arabia, Persia, and
China. Traders acquired ivory, leopard skins,
iron, copper, and gold. A thriving slave trade
also developed.Trade helped rulers build strong
city-states and created a varied mix of cultures.
The blend of cultures gave rise to Swahili, a new
language that fused Arabic words onto a Bantu
base and was written in Arabic script.
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Zimbabwe
Europeans came upon massive stone ruins in the
188s which, they thought, were created by
ancient Phonecians.
The builders were actually a number of
Bantu-speaking people who settled in the region
between 900 and 1500 and brought there improved
farming skills, iron, and mining methods.
Very little is known about the government in
Great Zimbabwe. Some suggest that their ruler was
god-king who presided over a large court. There
may have been a queen mother. Under the king was
most likely a central bureaucracy
Little is known about how this civilization
developed. The capital probably reached its
height about 1300. Great Zimbabwe was part of a
trade network that reached across the Indian
ocean. It was also a center for manufacturing.
Weaving cotton cloth also seemed to be important.
Great Zimbabwe went into decline when over
farming had exhausted the land. Civil war and
dwindling trade also contributed to the decline.
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People and the Environment
Farming communities practiced slash and burn
agriculture. Their governments were usually run
by a set of people rather then a single leader.
Villages often made decisions by a process called
consensus. Nuclear families were common. Families
could be both matrilineal and patrilinieal. Each
family belonged to a lineage. Religious beliefs
across Africa were varied and complex.
Bantu-speaking people migrated across Africa for
thousands of years. They carried farming skills
and knowledge of iron working with them.
Everywhere they went they adapted to local
environments and absorbed ideas from people they
encountered. As a result African society varied
greatly from place to place. In Fringe areas the
people were hunter gatherers while on parts of
the savannah some herded cattle. Along the coasts
and rivers were fishermen.
African artists created works in ivory, wood, and
bronze. Art strengthened bonds in communities.
Often their art had important meaning, usually
religious. They preserved history through oral
and written literature.
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Regents Questions

• The wealth and power of Malis ruler, mansa musa,
  were significant because they contributed to the
• Start of the crusades
  c) Spread of Islam
• Growth of European nationalism d)
  Rise of Arab nationalism

• 2) The spread of Islam into the kingdoms of Ghana
  and Mali resulted from
• Imperialism c)
  cultural diffusion
• Ethnocentrism d) self-
  determination

1._________ a)spread of Islam b)Gold and salt
trade c) Growth of Timbuktu d) Pilgrimage of
Mansa Musa
3) Which civilization best completes the heading
of the partial outline

1. Benin 3) Mali
2. Kush 4) Egyptian

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Regents Questions

1. Port of the water route to east Asia
2. Major urban and industrial center on the Silk
   road
3. Commercial and cultural center of West Africa
4. Inland city of the Hanseatic league

4) Which description best characterizes the city
of Timbuktu
5) Which economic activity was the basis for most
of the wealth and power of the West African
empires of Ghana and Mali

1. Hunting and gathering
2. Farming and cattle ranching
3. Trading in salt and gold
4. Working in bronze and brass

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Answers

1. c. the spread of Islam
2. c. cultural diffusion
3. c. Mali
4. c. commercial and cultural center of West Africa
5. c. trading in salt and gold