Ancient African Civilizations

AP World History1st Period

Created By:Jessica Shafer

Group Members:Angie Wong

Kaylyn ThompsonChristina Polvian

Introduction• What am I trying to explain?

– In this power point, I am trying to explain how the Ancient African Civilizations lived and the important characteristics of the civilizations.

• What are the ancient civilizations of Africa?– The Ancient Civilizations of Africa are Egypt and Nubia.

• Where are the Ancient African Civilizations located?– These civilizations, Egypt and Nubia, are located in the Nile River

Valley, right of the Sahara Desert, to the left of the Red Sea and below the Mediterranean Sea in the northern part of Africa.

• Why is this important?– These civilizations are important to world history, not only because

they are historical events, but what happened in these places influenced and affected the events of the people around them. Egypt and Nubia, like Mesopotamia, were major influences during this time.

• What is the time period for the assignment?– The events in this power point take place from 8,000 B.C.E to 600

B.C.E.

S.W.O.T. AnalysisStrengths

• Military Rule and strong military background.

• Protected by water and the Sahara Desert

Weaknesses• Egyptian and Nubian conflict- Frequent violence during the Old Kingdom period.

•People of Egypt eventually became so powerful they begin ignoring authority, as a result the central state decline and soon vanished.

S.W.O.T. Analysis (Continued)Opportunities

• Being so close to Nile River gave them the opportunities to have better transportation via river and better chances at successfully mastering agricultural techniques.

• They had specialized labor because they had adopted agriculture and were looking to better their lives.

Threats•Other civilizations• Mesopotamia• Themselves (Nubia and

Egypt)• Indus Valley

•The Nile River because it may flood

Egypt and Nubia• Egypt was known as the “Gift of the

Nile” because it could take better advantage of its resources. Egypt was the most prominent Ancient African society.

• Egypt emerged alongside Nubia, which too, could have been called the “Gift of the Nile”.

• Both societies practiced early agricultural techniques which led to the success of new inventions and specialized labor, such as pottery, metallurgy, and decorations for their homes.

Egyptian and Nubian Government• Egypt and Nubia were

kingdoms constantly ran by kings and pharaohs.

• Egypt and Nubia were patriarchal societies, which meant they put authority in the hands of adult males.

• Nubia’s government was hierarchical, while Egyptians relied on military forces, a bureaucracy of administrators, and tax collectors to serve as their central government.

Important EventsUnification of Egypt:

3,100 B.C.E

Egyptian Old Kingdom:

2,660- 2,160 B.C.E

Invention of Iron

Metallurgy-

900 B.C.E

Pyramid Building first

began-

2,600- 2,500 B.C.E

3,000 B.C.E

2,500 B.C.E

2,000 B.C.E

1,000 B.C.E

1,500 B.C.E

Egyptian New Kingdom-

1,550- 1,070 B.C.E

Kingdom of Kush Arose-

2,500- 1,450 B.C.E

Egyptian Middle

Kingdom-2,040- 1,640

B.C.E

Beginning of Bantu Migrations-

2,000 B.C.E

Important Events (Continued)• Unification of Egypt (3,100 B.C.E.)-

Egypt came to unified rule by a conqueror named Menes, which combined upper and lower Egypt.

• Egyptian Old Kingdom (2,660-2,160 B.C.E)- The power of pharaohs were the greatest during this period. Tensions led to violence during this period between Egypt and Nubia.

• Pyramid building first began (2,600-

2,500 B.C.E)- Constructed as royal tombs, these structures were the most enduring symbols of a pharaohs’ authority and divine status.

• Kingdom of Kush Arose (2,500- 1,450 B.C.E) - Nubia established the powerful kingdom of Kush as a result in the Egyptian presence in the north of Upper Nubia.

•Egyptian Middle Kingdom (2,040- 1,640 B.C.E.)- Pharaonic authority returned with the establishment of the Middle Kingdom. However, pharaohs were not as powerful as they were in the Old Kingdom.

•Beginning of Bantu Migrations (2,000 B.C.E.) - Bantu migrations were not mass movements of people. It occurred gradually. It was said that population pressures drove the migrations.

•Egyptian New Kingdom (1,550- 1,070 B.C.E.)- Egyptian leaders gradually pushed the Hyksos out of the Nile delta and founded the New Kingdom. Pharaohs presided over a prosperous and productive society.

•Invention of Iron Metallurgy (900 B.C.E.) - Since Nubia didn’t have the resources to make bronze, they had to import copper and tin from the north. However, the Hittites developed techniques for foraging iron. After that, iron metallurgy rose with experiments on iron ore.

People• Menes- A ruler who brought unified rule

to Egypt in 3,100 B.C.E, which combined Upper and Lower Egypt. He founded the city of Memphis, which served as Menes’ capital. He was sometimes identified with an early Egyptian ruler called Narmer. He was a minor official who rose to power and extended his authority from Upper to Lower Egypt.

• Egyptians- People of Egypt who also came up with a writing system called Hieroglyphs, which were just a bunch of pictures to represent words. They were huge influences on the people around them and the people they traded with.

• Hyksos- The Hyksos were horse-riding nomads who were also known as “foreign rulers’. These people were particularly Semitic people who had probably introduced Egypt to horses. They captured Memphis and claimed authority over all of Egypt. Their rule provoked a strong reaction in Upper Egypt.

Bantu Language Speakers- Bantu Language Speakers were among the most influential peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa in ancient times. They cultivated many crops and had a migration called the Bantu Migration. The Bantu displayed a readiness to migrate to new territories. By their migrations, they had invented new technology and began to grow into a society.

Tuthmosis III- Tuthmosis was one of the New Kingdom pharaohs who reigned from 1,479-1,425 B.C.E. He was important because he personally led Palestine to Syria and dominated the coastal regions of the Eastern Mediterranean as well as North Africa.

Pharaoh Akhenaten- He was also known as Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, who reigned from 1,353-1,335 B.C.E. He was important because he considered Aten the World’s “sole god” and as long as he lives, the Cult of Aten flourished.

Writing System• Hieroglyphic writing first appeared around

3,200 B.C.E. Its said to be a result of Mesopotamian influence.

• Hieroglyphs were pictographic writing but soon became symbols representing words and sounds. There are more than 2,000 hieroglyphic characters.

•Nubia peoples spoke their own language, although, their writing was Egyptian hieroglyphic writing.

•Nubian scribes soon after created an alphabetic script for the Meroitic language that used sounds instead of ideas to create a flexible writing system. This was the result for when the Kushite Capital moves from Napata to Meroë.

Egyptian and Nubian Gods• Amon- Amon was one of the two

principal gods. Amon was associated with the sun, creation, fertility, and reproductive forces. Amon was originally a local Theban deity.

• Re- Re was associated with the

sun and was known as the god worshiped at Heliopolis.

• They both were increasingly associated with and honored in a combined Cult. Egyptians and Nubians believed that Amon-Re was the universal god who presided over all the earth.

Egyptian and Nubian Gods (Continued)• Aten- Aten is another god associated with the sun.

Amenhotep IV, also known as Akhenaten, built a new capital city in honor of Aten and encouraged other people to worship him too.

• Apedemak- Apedemak is one of the Nubian deities who was often depicted with a bow and arrow. He also served as the war god of the Kingdom of Kush.

Ancient Egyptian and Nubian Art Forms

Sobek, crocodile god of ancient Egypt.

Wall painting of Nefertari

BibliographyBooks:

Bentley, Jerry H. and Herbert, Ziegler. Traditions Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past. The McGraw Hill Companies, Glenco.

Murray, Dr. Jocelyn and Sheehan, Sean. Cultural Atlas for Young People: Africa. Facts On File, Inc. 2003 Ehret, Christopher. The Civilizations of Africa: a History to 1800. The University Press of Virginia. 2002