warm-up: thursday read the information on the slip of paper you received. summarize what it says on...
TRANSCRIPT
Warm-up: ThursdayRead the information on the slip
of paper you received.
Summarize what it says on your warm-up sheet.
Ch. 8: African Civilizations and the Spread of Islam
How did trade and migration affect early African civilizations?
GeographyWhere is:
- Desert?- Rainforest
?- Savanna?- Sahel?
Ifriqiya = Arabic term for eastern N. Africa
North AfricaUnlike majority of continent,
North Africa was a key location in the classical period Phoenicians -> Alexander the Great-
>Romans
North Africa and Spain conquered by Muslim armies in 7th century
Kush 1000 B.C. – A.D. 150
In 750 B.C., Kush conquered Egypt, but then pushed back to original lands In 663 B.C.,
Traded iron products, ivory, gold, ebony, slaves
Lost power to Axum
Axum A.D. 100 - 1400Traded ivory,
frankincense, myrrh, slaves
AxumKing Ezana made Christianity
the official religion of AxumIsolated
◦Highlands◦Fortified towns
AxumStruggle between Christian state
in Ethiopian Highlands and Muslim peoples in Somalia shaped the history of the region
Ethiopia = fiercely independent
These were major civilizations in Eastern Africa.
In western Africa, several successful trade empires came about…
Sudanic StatesSahel: Arabic word meaning “sea
coast, shore”Grassland linked trade between
the Northern desert and southern forests
Sudanic States: Cultural Diffusion
The first people to make the trek across the desert were the nomadic Berbers of North Africa, who brought their strict Islamic faith across the Sahara.
The Berbers converted many of the merchants of West Africa to Islam.
Sudanic States: TradeSalt and gold trade made the
region wealthy
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8394266.stm
Sudanic States: TradeHow did these goods cross the desert
and reach the Mediterranean and beyond?
Berbers used camel caravans to transport goods
“Ship of the Desert”In about 300 AD, the Arabian camel was
brought to Africa and became the “ship of the desert.” The camel stores fat in its hump and water in its stomach, which allows it to travel up to ten days without fresh water—twice the distance of an ox or a horse. All of a sudden trade was much more dependable.
Cannot live in humid forests = Sahel became the point of exchange (ideas, trade, people)
Camel CaravansDid they have overnight
delivery??Typical camel caravan:
◦100 camels, loaded with goods and supplies
◦3 mph◦40 to 60 days
Ghana A.D. 400 - 1200Prospered because they had:
◦ Iron. What could be made from iron ore?- tools and weapons
◦Gold.
10th century Rulers converted to IslamHeight of Ghana’s power
GhanaGold from West Africa was exchanged for
something the West Africans prized even more: salt.
What’s so special about salt?◦Salt was used as a flavoring◦a food preservative, ◦retaining body moisture.
Empires of Early Africahttp://player.discoveryeducation.
com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=25B6C88A-BE2A-4B19-9C2B-1C71AF9F0A4F&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
Mali A.D. 1250 - 1450Ghana flourished for
several hundred years, but collapsed during the 1100s.
Mali rose up in its place
Built its wealth on the gold and salt trade
Timbuktu and Jenne = important trade cities
Mali A.D. 1250 - 1450Sundiata created
the political and economic structures of Mali Combined
traditional and Islamic culture to unify the region and maintain power
Sundiata◦ Epic histories of
Mali◦ “Lion Prince”
African StorytellersWhat types of stories do you hear
as you grow up?
Griot (gree-oh) – professional oral historians (African storytellers)
Storytellers preserved African history with their tales because there was no written language.
MaliMansa Musa (1312-1337) was a
rich and powerful king of Mali (mansa means “king”)
He was a devout Muslim who encouraged the building of mosques and study of the Quran.
MaliMade pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324Led to:
◦Attention from the Muslim world◦Islamic architecture (Jenne Mosque)◦Change and innovation
Songhai A.D. 1000 - 1600Took control of Timbuktu and
Jenne = gave them control of the trading empire
Societies in East Africa: Bantu migrations
Bantu – farming peoples who spoke dialects of the Bantu language
Near what river did the Bantu originate?
Bantu Migrations
Bantu migrations spread ironworking technology and a common language
Why is iron important?
There is little or no evidence of ironworking in eastern and southern Africa before the arrival of the Bantu = suggests that the new technology was spread by the Bantu.
Cultural diffusion in East Africa: Swahili Coast
As time passed, a mixed African-Arabian culture formed called
Swahili◦From sahel, meaning “coast” in
Arabic = “people of the coast”◦Combined Bantu and Arabic words
◦Today is the national language of Kenya and Tanzania
◦Coastal cities were ruled by Muslim families, but interior towns maintained traditional beliefs
Swahili CoastEastern cities engaged in trade with
Arabia, Persia, India and China: Ivory, gold, iron, slaves, exotic animals; in exchange for silks and porcelain
1500: Portuguese arrive!
Interior kingdoms
Yoruba and Benin: Established city-states Artisans famed for lifelike statues
made of terra-cotta and bronze
Kongo and Great Zimbabwe: large confederations divided into provinces and ruled by a king
African Society and CultureLineage group – an extended
family unit that has combined into a larger community
(Extended family = parents, children, grandparents)
Basic building blocks of African society.
Members were expected to take care of eachother
CultureMatrilineal – tracing lineage
through the mother rather than the father
Patrilineal- tracing lineage through the father
Warm-up:
1. What cultural traits spread to the West African kingdoms through trade?
2. How did the kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai become prosperous?
Stateless societies: led by a council of families or the community◦External pressures or engagement in
trade led to state-building
Journal #3You are the village Griot. You have
realized that you have no one to follow in your footsteps. You have decided to record the history of your village . You may create a story, a rap, a poem.
Use your notes! Talk with the people around you!
You will earn extra credit if you perform for the class.
World Heritage City: Timbuktu
Timbuktu was a thriving center of scholarship instrumental to the spread of Islam in Africa.
Three notable mosques and one of the world’s great collections of ancient manuscripts.
The great teachings of Islam, from astronomy and mathematics to medicine and law, were collected and produced here in several hundred thousand manuscripts.
In the 16th century Moroccan invaders began to drive scholars out, and trade routes slowly shifted to the coasts. The city’s importance and prestige waned and scholars drifted elsewhere. French colonization at the close of the 19th century dealt another serious blow to the former glories of Timbuktu.
TimbuktuCity of commercial exchange that
flourishedSankore mosque
◦Library and university◦Book = symbol of civilization (book
trade most lucrative business)
SlaveryNot much known about trans-
Saharan slave tradeOne scholar had estimated 4.8
million slaves transportedSlave trade increased – trade
caravans transported slaves and gold