1. Early African Civilizations 2000 B.C. – A.D. 1500
Chapter 7
Early African Civilizations
2000 B.C. – A.D. 1500

2. Modern Day Africa

3. Key Events
The continent’s immense size and distinct geographical and climatic zones influenced where civilizations developed and how they survived
The introduction of Christianity and Islam affected the way civilizations developed and interacted
The development of trade led to the exchange of goods and cultural ideas

4. The Impact Today
The expansion of trade creates a global society, allowing people to exchange goods, services, and ideas throughout the world
African art, music, and dance remain very influential today

5. “Explorer Finds Great Zimbabwe”
Chapter Preview
“Explorer Finds Great Zimbabwe”

6. The Development of Civilizations in Africa
Section 1
The Development of Civilizations in Africa

7. The Land of Africa Northern coast is mountainous
South of the mountains is the Sahara desert
Major regions south of the Sahara
Hump of Africa (Sahara gives way to grasslands and the tropical jungles)
Great Rift Valley (Mountains loom over deep canyons) Grasslands with many wild animals
Congo Basin (Dense Vegetation watered by the Congo river)
Atlas Mountains. Africa is the 2nd largest continent (Asia). Sahara is the largest desert on earth.

8. Sahara Desert
View other google images of the Sahara desert.

9. Great Rift Valley
View other google images of the Sahara desert.

10. Congo Basin
View other google images of the Sahara desert.

11. The Climate of Africa 4 Distinct Climate Zones (Map 224)
Mild Zone (Moderate rainfall and warm temperatures result in fertile land that produces abundant crops)
Deserts (40% of Africa)
Rain Forest (Heavy rains and warm temperatures produce dense forests where little farming and little travel are possible)
Savannas (Broad grasslands dotted with small trees and shrubs)

12. Kush Became independent in 1000 B.C. In 750 B.C. Kush Conquered Egypt
In 663 B.C. the Kushites were overwhelmed by the Assyrians and returned to upper Nile Valley
Economy originally based on farming
Soon emerged as one of the major trading states in the region
Kushites made iron weapons and tools

13. Kush (Continued)
For the next 200 years, Kush was a major trading empire, providing iron products and goods from central and eastern Africa to the Roman Empire, as well as to Arabia and India.
Other Exports – Ivory, gold, ebony, and slaves.
Imports – Luxury goods, including jewelry and silver lamps from India and Arabia.
Kush flourished from 250 B.C. to 150 A.D. but declined because of the new power Axum.

14. Axum Located in the highlands of what is now Ethiopia
Founded by Arabs from the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula
Eventually combined Arab and African cultures
Prosperous due to location on Red Sea trade route
Conquered Kush in 4th century A.D.
Christianity was made the official religion of Axum after King Ezana converted to Christianity.

15. The Coming of Islam
For hundreds of years, relations between Christian Axum and its Muslim neighbors were relatively peaceful.
12th Century – Problems arose as the Muslim states along the coast began to move inland to gain control over trade.
15th Century – Axum was deeply involved with the Muslim state of Adal.

17. Kingdoms and States of Africa
Section 2
Kingdoms and States of Africa

18. The Kingdom of Ghana
The first great trading state in West Africa – Emerged in A.D. 500
Most people were farmers living in villages under a local ruler
Together the villages formed the kingdom of Ghana
The Kings of Ghana were strong rulers (with great wealth) who governed without any laws.
Located in upper Niger river valley (West Africa)

19. Ghana Location

20. Ghana – Economy and Trade
Lived off the land and also prospered from their possession of both iron and gold.
Received imports of metal goods, textiles, horses, and salt from Muslim merchants
Exchange of goods took place through “silent trade” – page 229.
Also exported ivory, ostrich feathers, hides, and slaves.
Skilled craftsmen turned ore into tools and weapons. Read about trade – Page 229, Ghana collapsed during the 1100’s.

21. Exports through Camel Caravans

22. The Kingdom of Mali
Established around 1240 by Sundiata Keita (Compared to George Washington)
Extended from the Atlantic coast to the famous trading city of Timbuktu
Local rulers sent tax revenue to the Kings of Mali
Richest and most powerful king – Mansa Musa
By 1359, civil war divided Mali.
Read about Mansa Musa on 230/231. Soon after the civil war, the Songhai Kingdom began to surpass Mali.

23. Mali Location

24. The Kingdom of Songhai
Located south of the bend in the Niger River in Western Africa
Due to military victories Songhai had control of the trading empire, especially salt and gold
Declined in the 16th century mainly due to Morocco forces occupying much of Songhai
By 1600 the Songhai Empire was all but gone

25. African Trading Empires
Review chart on page 232
Kush
Axum
Ghana
Mali
Songhai

26. Migration of Bantus to East Africa (1st millennium B.C.)
Communities based on subsistence farming
Sometime after A.D , descendants of a Bantu tribe established the prosperous city of Great Zimbabwe
Subsistence farming – growing crops for personal use, not for sale.

27. Great Zimbabwe

28. Great Zimbabwe

29. Bantus
String of trading ports on the Eastern edge of Africa (Mogadishu, Mombasa, and Kilwa) – 7th and 8th centuries.
Later in the 1500’s a Swahili culture began to emerge throughout the coastal area.
Swahili – Mixed African-Arabian culture, means “people of the coast”. Swahili is still the national language of Kenya and Tanzania. Review map on page 233.

30. South Africa
Until the eleventh century A.D., most of the peoples lived in a stateless society.
From about 1300 to 1450, Zimbabwe was the wealthiest and most powerful state in the region.
Stateless society – a group of independent villages organized by clans and led by a local ruler or clan head. Read page 234.

32. African Society and Culture
Section 3
African Society and Culture

33. Relationship helped both sides
King and Subject
Less of a divide between king and common people in Africa. Nevertheless, the king was still held in a position high above all others.
Relationship helped both sides
Merchants received favors from the king
King’s treasury received taxes paid by merchants
King maintained law and order in the kingdom so that the merchants could practice their trade

34. Extended family and lineage groups were very important to Africans.
All members of a lineage group could claim to be descended from a real or legendary common ancestor.
The elders in the group had the most power
Members took care of one another
Lineage group – an extended family unit that has combined into a larger community.

35. Usually subordinate to Men
Role of Women
Usually subordinate to Men
Women often worked in the fields while the men tended cattle or hunted
Most African societies were matrilineal rather than patrilineal
Matrilineal – societies in which descent is traced through the mother
Patrilineal – societies in which descent is traced through the father

36. Community Education and Initiation
At age 6, boys went to live in “house of the men” and girls in “the house of the women” – raised for adult roles
Initiation and ritual ceremony took place at puberty where they became men and women and entered into the life of the community
Read page 238

37. African Ritual Ceremony

38. Slavery Had been practiced in Africa since ancient times
Berber groups raided farming villages south of Sahara for captives and sold them throughout the Mediterranean
Slaves used in a variety of ways (Page 238)
Some slaves becam soldiers, others were used as domestic servants.

39. Religious Beliefs in Africa
Most early Africans believed in a single creator - God.
Sometimes, the “creator god” was joined by a whole group of lesser gods.
Communication through rituals – by diviners.
Diviners – people who believe they have the power to foretell events, usually by working with supernatural forces.

40. Religious Beliefs in Africa (Cont.)
Importance of ancestors (closer to the gods)
Many African religions shared a belief in afterlife
Islam began spreading rapidly in Northern Africa and more slowly south of the Sahara
Christianity also spread in the mountains of Ethiopia
Africa imported ideas were combined with native beliefs to create a unique brand of Africanized Islam.

41. African Culture
Earliest art forms in Africa were rock paintings showing the life of the peoples.
Wood carvers made remarkable masks and statues (usually representing gods, spirits, and ancestral figures).
Later, metal workers produced handsome bronze and iron statues
Dance, music, and storytelling served religious purposes.

42. Early African Civilizations Wrap Up and Review
Chapter 7
Early African Civilizations
Wrap Up and Review

43. Key Events (Re-visited)
The continent’s immense size and distinct geographical and climatic zones influenced where civilizations developed and how they survived
The introduction of Christianity and Islam affected the way civilizations developed and interacted
The development of trade led to the exchange of goods and cultural ideas

44. The Impact Today (Re-visited)
The expansion of trade creates a global society, allowing people to exchange goods, services, and ideas throughout the world
African art, music, and dance remain very influential today