Early African Civilizations Overview

Early African Civilizations

• Africa is the second-largest continent, covering 20% of the Earth's surface. Its geography varies greatly, including diverse climate zones (tropical rainforests, savannas, deserts), coastlines, and resources (salt, gold, iron, copper).

Migration of Peoples and the Changing Sahara

• The Great Rift Valley is considered a potential origin point for early humans.
• Around 5500 BCE, farming developed in the Nile Valley, leading to villages in the Sahara. Cave paintings depict a forested Sahara.
• Desertification, a gradual process of climate change, transformed the Sahara from a forested region into a desert.

The Nile Kingdom of Nubia

• Nubia, located along the upper Nile, developed rich civilizations.
• Nubian and Egyptian civilizations interacted closely, leading to shared rule and cultural exchange.
• Nubia's strategic location along the Nile and the Red Sea fostered trade opportunities.
• Meroe, a key Nubian city, was a center for iron production and trade.
• Nubia flourished, exhibiting its own culture and religious practices, mirroring but also distinct from those of Egypt.
• Nubia’s golden age started to decline around the 350's A.D.

North Africa

• Carthage, in North Africa, emerged as a major trading power during roughly 800 BCE to 146 BCE.
• The Romans conquered Carthage, and later expanded their influence and infrastructure across North Africa.
• Christianity spread through areas under Roman rule.
• Camels facilitated trade across the Sahara.

Kingdoms of West Africa

• The drying Sahara prompted Neolithic groups to migrate southward into the savanna.
• Trade connections developed between the savanna, forest regions, and the Mediterranean.
• Gold and salt were crucial commodities in trans-Saharan trade.
• The Soninke people united their farming communities, establishing the kingdom of Ghana, with its capital Kumbi Saleh.
• Muslim merchants introduced Islam, impacting the region.

The Kingdom of Mali

• Sundiata, a prominent figure, solidified the kingdom of Mali.
• The expansion of Mali benefited from control of trading routes and the gold trade.
• Mansa Musa, a renowned Malian emperor, converted to Islam and fostered diplomatic ties with Muslim countries during his pilgrimage to Mecca.

A New Empire in Songhai

• Songhai emerged as a powerful West African empire following the decline of Mali.
• Sundiata's successor consolidated control of major trade routes.
• Askia Muhammad further expansion of Songhai and adopted Islam.
• Morrocan armies defeated the Songhai peoples.

Other Kingdoms and City-States

• The Hausa people in modern-day Nigeria developed walled city-states, significant trading centers like Kano.
• Benin grew from a central position in the forest region.

People and the Environment

• Bantu-speaking people migrated throughout Africa, spreading farming and knowledge.
• Hunting and gathering communities adapted to marginal zones.
• Herding societies, with limitations on grazing land, often developed strong military capabilities.
• Fishing communities supplemented diets through extensive coastal and river trade.
• Slash-and-burn techniques were prevalent, even today, in agricultural practices of cultivating land.

Village Government and Family Patterns

• Farming communities operated with shared responsibilities.
• Authority structures varied between chiefs with power and decision-making by elders.
• Consensus was a governing approach for some communities.
• Taxation systems developed as kingdoms expanded.
• Kinship systems included patrilineal, matrilineal, and broader clan structures.

Religious Beliefs

• Various religions and beliefs existed across Africa.
• Indigenous religions often included veneration of nature spirits.
• Concepts of a universal creator deity also emerged in some communities.
• Islam and Christianity had an influence on the continent over time

Artistic and Literary Traditions

• Ancient African art includes rock paintings, ivory, artifacts, woven cloths, and more.
• Art was often intertwined with spiritual or religious practices.
• Written records exist, for instance, from Egypt and Nubia, providing insight into ancient culture and history.

Trade Routes of East Africa

• The Axum Empire, centered in modern-day Ethiopia, was a notable trading power.
• Axum was a center for a triangular trade network through the Mediterranean and Arabian Sea linking the African continent with India.
• The rise of Christianity there created a unique distinction with neighboring regions.
• The spread of islam brought significant changes, impacting trading patterns and the overall structure of East Africa's societal organization
• The establishment of city-states along the coast saw a blend of African and non-African cultures.

Great Zimbabwe

• The Bantu-speaking people of Great Zimbabwe, developed an advanced civilization centered around the Limpopo River.
• Gold extraction fueled its prominence (1300s).
• The civilization's decline may be attributed to over-farming and the depletion of gold resources.