The Kingdom of Ghana

The trade routes were originally run by the Berbers The trade routes were originally run by the Berbers. Ghana gained control of the valuable routes, and as a result became an empire.

Ghana Controls Trade

Ghana’s beginnings The first people in Ghana were farmers called the Soninke (Soh-ning-kee) The Soninke were threatened by nomadic herders. The Soninke families began to band together for protection. Once they began to band together, the people of Ghana grew in strength.

The people of Ghana learned how to work with ______ .

The people of Ghana used iron to make weapons The people of Ghana used iron to make weapons. Other armies in the area used weapons made of bone, wood or stone. They were able to conquer and control neighboring tribes.

The people of Ghana also… Herded cattle for meat and milk. Because these farmers could produce plenty of food, the population of Ghana increased. Towns and villages grew.

Trade in Valuable Goods Ghana was located between the vast Sahara desert and the deep forests. They were in a good position to trade in the regions most valuable resources, ______ and ______ .

Gold

Salt

Gold & Salt People wanted gold for its beauty. People needed salt in their diets to preserve food, and make bland food tasty.

The exchange of gold and salt sometimes followed a process called silent bartering, in which people exchange goods without ever contacting each other directly. This made sure that the traders did business peacefully. Do we silent barter today?

Koumbi Saleh was Ghana’s capital

Taxes and Gold

With so many traders passing through their lands, the rulers of Ghana looked to make money off of them. Traders had to pay taxes on goods they carried. People of Ghana had to pay taxes. Rulers used the money from taxes to pay soldiers of Ghana. The soldiers protected traders from thieves and bandits. Is this a good way to spend tax money?

Through its control of trade, Ghana became an empire

Ghana’s rich mines produced huge amounts of gold.

Ghana’s kings kept huge amounts of gold for themselves. All the gold produced in Ghana was officially the property of the king. Only the king could own gold nuggets, this ensured that the king was richer than his subjects. Common people could only own gold dust, which was often used for money.

Who could only own this type of gold?

This type of gold was used by the common people of Ghana.

The empire of Ghana reached its height under Tunka Manin.

Reasons for Ghana’s Decline Invasion Overgrazing Internal Rebellion.

A Muslim group called the Almoravids invaded Ghana.

The people of Ghana fought hard for 14 years. The Almoravids destroyed the capital city of Koumbi Saleh. The Almoravids didn’t control Ghana for long, but really weakened the empire (cut off trade routes). Without trade, Ghana could not support its empire. The Almoravid left behind Islam and the Arabic language in West Africa.

Overgrazing

Internal rebellion

They rebelled over taxes, and the empire soon fell apart.