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• More than 3 times the size of the United States
• Wide variety of climates, vegetation, resources
• Distinct cultural traditions and economic adaptations
• Also see some similarities in social organization and religion
Geography
• Continent has varied landscape
• Plateaus cover much of central, southern interior
• Low, wide plains across northern, western interior
• East, region of deep, steep-sided valleys, narrow lakes
• Mountain ranges rim Africa, example Ethiopian Highlands in northeast
• Near coastline, land drops off to coastal plains
• Some provide fertile farmland, others desert, swamp, sandy beaches
•South of Sahara, mighty rivers flow across plains, including Congo, Zambezi, Niger•Region called the Sahel, strip of land dividing desert, wetter areas
• Farther south of the Sahara, band of tropical savanna, open grassland
• Extends east from Central Africa, wraps back toward south
• Tall grasses, shrubs, trees grow there; variety of herd animals, majority of Africans live there
SAHARA DESERT
TROPICAL RAINFORESTS
Early Societies
Common Features• Many societies developed village-based cultures / extended family
= household• Families with common ancestors formed clans to which all
members loyal• Women and men had specific rolesAge-Sets• In some areas, people took part in type of group
called age-sets• Men who had been born within same two, three
years formed special bonds• Men in same age-set had duty to help each otherReligion
• Many believed that unseen spirits of ancestors stayed near
• To honor spirits, families marked certain places as sacred places, put specially carved statues there
• Families gathered to share news, food with ancestors, hoping spirits would protect them
• Shared belief in ANIMISM
Iron Age of Africa
The spread of iron technology after the
500s BC changed farming practices in sub-Saharan Africa. As a result, African society changed.
Influence of TRADE in East
Africa
stelae
C 10 sec 3
Kingdoms and Empiresof Sub-Saharan Africa800 – 1500 CE
Ghana =Center of 4-5th CAfrican Gold and Salt Trade(converted to Islam by 10th C)
Offered protectionfor merchants
(from ArabiaBy 7th C) 70-90 daysto cross the Sahara
Empire of MaliSundiata (r. 1230-1255 CE)
Mansa Musa (r. 1312-1337 CE)
Mansa Musa’s Hajj 1324-1325
• entourage of 60,000• 500 men each carrying a 6 lb gold staff• 80 camels each carrying300 lbs of gold dust• 500 slaves distributed along the way as gifts• gifts of gold led to devaluing ofgold on global market by 25%• market didn’t recover for 25 yrs• brought back Arab scholars, artists and architects = builtlibraries, mosques, schools
Mosque at Djenne, Mali
Empire of SonghaiSunni Ali (r. 1464-1492
CE)
• A man of the people• Allowed local leaders to
stay in power• Built a navy of 400 ships
• Tolerated Islam and traditional African
beliefs
Benin = “lost wax” process of sculptureWhat does the existence of these bronze plaques indicate about Benin culture c. 1000 CE?
In societies dominated by oral tradition, art replaces written language
C 10 sec 3 Mali
• Established by King Sundiata
• Height of empire under Mansa Musa (famous hajj)
• Became wealthy from control of gold trade
• Built many mosques, libraries, schools in Timbuktu
• Empire declined after his death
Cowry shells as standardizedcurrency
Kingdom ofKongo: 1000CE
(Congo River)Slaves = war captives,Debtors, suspected witches,Criminals, status symbols (NOT land),Used as agricultural labor(Chattal slavery??)
Internal slave trade = 10,000-20,000 slaves/ year
(With increased demand) =10 million slaves to Islamic world
(750-1500 CE)
(Zanj Revolt 869 CE in Mesopotamia15,000 slaves revolt/ controlled Basra)
Centralized authority royal currency system
