64 Questions
How did the emperors of Ghana strengthen their middleman position?
They brought lesser states like Takrur under their control and pushed their borders southeastward towards the land of the gold producers and northward into the Sahara.
What was the significance of the city of Audoghast in the Ghana Empire?
Audoghast was a famous market and a south-Saharan city under the control of the Ghana Empire.
How did the system of government in Ghana expand as the empire grew?
The system of government expanded to include lesser kings and governors who ruled over distant provinces, giving loyalty and paying taxes to a single central government.
What was the primary challenge in governing a large empire like Ghana?
The king's orders would have gone too slowly through the land and would not have been obeyed, making it necessary to establish a system of governors and lesser kings.
What were the benefits of the growth of the Ghana Empire for its people?
The growth of the empire brought peace and security to the region, and many people benefited from the trade and economic prosperity.
How did the emperors of Ghana maintain their public services and meet the expenses of keeping law and order?
They established ways of government that were later adopted in the Sudan, including a system of governance, taxation, and public services.
What was the significance of the Ghana Empire in African history?
The formation and growth of the Ghana Empire marked an important stage in social development and was a big political and economic achievement.
What can be inferred about the social development of the Ghana Empire?
The empire's growth and success indicate a high level of social development, including a complex system of governance and a thriving economy.
What was the driving factor behind the growth of the Ghana Empire?
The middleman position in international trade, which made Ghana strong and prosperous.
What was the significance of ironworking skills to the Ghana Empire?
It allowed them to use iron weapons against their neighbours who generally did not have any.
What was the title given to the important kings who ruled over lesser kings in states like Ancient Ghana?
Emperors.
What was the primary reason behind the need for a strong government in the Ghana Empire?
To ensure peace and order throughout a wide region of the Western Sudan.
What was the main role of the towns and trading settlements in the Ghana Empire?
They served as go-betweens or middlemen between the Berber and Arab traders of the north and the gold and ivory producers of the south.
What was the significance of the Niger River to the Ghana Empire?
The Ghana Empire occupied the lands to the north of the upper waters of the Niger, which gave them a position of great power and value.
What was the impact of the Ghana Empire's growth on its civilisation?
It made its civilisation shine with a light whose dazzling brilliance we can still glimpse in the writings of Al-Bakri.
What was the primary factor that gave the rulers of Ghana gold and glory?
Their middleman position in international trade.
What was the Ghana empire characterized by?
A large region of trade, security, and strong government.
What was the language spoken by the founders of Ghana?
One of the languages of the Mande group.
What was the name of the history book that recorded the tradition of Ghana's kings?
The Tarikh as-Sudan.
What was the title of the king that controlled the export of gold?
Kaya maghan, or 'lord of the gold'.
Before what date was the Soninke state built?
AD 773.
What was the name given to the Ghana kingdom by its rulers?
Wagadu.
What was the significance of the Ghana empire's trade across the desert?
It was conducted through the Berber chiefs and traders who lived to the north of Ghana.
How many kings of Ghana were recorded before the beginning of the Muslim Era?
Twenty-two kings.
What was the primary role of the Berber chiefs and traders in the Ghana Empire?
Conducting trade across the desert
What was the significance of the title 'ghana' in the Ghana Empire?
It signified the king's control over gold export
What was the name of the history book that recorded the tradition of Ghana's kings?
Tarikh as-Sudan
What was the approximate date of the first North African reference to the Ghana Empire?
AD 773
What was the name given to the Ghana kingdom by its rulers?
Wagadu
What was the language spoken by the founders of the Ghana Empire?
Soninke
What was the title given to the king who controlled the export of gold?
Kaya Maghan
Before what date was the Soninke state built?
AD 773
What was the primary reason for the Ghana Empire's expansion into the Sahara?
To gain control of the gold producers
What was the significance of the Ghana Empire's growth into a large empire?
It marked a significant stage in social development
How did the emperors of Ghana maintain their public services and meet the expenses of keeping law and order?
Through the collection of taxes from surrounding tribes
What was the primary challenge in governing a large empire like Ghana?
Maintaining control over distant provinces
What was the significance of the Ghana Empire's control of south-Saharan cities like Audoghast?
It gave the Ghana Empire control over the gold trade
What was the driving factor behind the growth of the Ghana Empire?
The importance of trade and wealth accumulation
What was the significance of the Ghana Empire's system of government?
It was a simple and crude system
What was the impact of the Ghana Empire's growth on its people?
It brought peace and security to the region
What was the primary reason behind the diamond companies' decision to sell their diamonds in small quantities?
To maintain the price of diamonds by controlling the supply
Why was West African gold important to Europe and North Africa?
Because European mines were becoming worked out
What was the significance of the trade in gold for the states and empires of the Western Sudan?
It founded their prosperity
What happened to the Ghana Empire in the thirteenth century?
It disappeared
What was the role of the emperors of Ghana in the gold trade?
They were the middlemen in the gold trade
What was the significance of the demand for gold from North Africa and Europe?
It founded the prosperity of the states and empires of the Western Sudan
What happened after the fall of the Ghana Empire?
A period of confusion and instability followed
Who eventually took over the place of the Ghana Empire?
The Mali Empire
What was the primary factor that contributed to the growth of Ghana and other states in West Africa?
The growth of international trade
What was the role of the towns and trading settlements in the Ghana Empire?
They were middlemen between the Berber and Arab traders and the gold and ivory producers
What was the significance of the Ghana Empire's position in the Western Sudan?
It was a position of great power and value due to its middleman position
What was the consequence of the Ghana Empire's growth on its civilisation?
It caused its civilisation to shine with a dazzling brilliance
What was the role of the ruling men of Ghana in the expansion of their political power?
They extended their political power through their skills in ironworking
What was the relationship between the Ghana rulers and their neighbours?
They were able to use iron weapons against their neighbours
What was the driving factor behind the need for a strong government in the Ghana Empire?
The need to ensure peace and order throughout a wide region
What was the significance of the Ghana Empire's middleman position?
It made the Empire strong and prosperous
What was the result of the king's increased wealth in the Ghana Empire?
He could command the services of many descent-lines and raise big armies.
Who wrote a book that offered a clear picture of the court of the emperor of Ghana in about AD 1065?
A Spanish Arab author named Al-Bakri.
Why did the Muslim traders build their houses in stone?
According to their own customs in North Africa.
What was the relationship between the emperor of Ghana and the Muslim traders?
The emperor was not a Muslim but allowed the traders to build a town.
What was the main difference between the traditional Ghana settlements and the Muslim traders' town?
The traditional Ghana settlements were built in hardened clay, thatch, and wooden beams, while the Muslim traders' town was built in stone.
What was the location of the Muslim traders' town in relation to the emperor's capital?
It was built 10 kilometres away from the emperor's capital.
What can be inferred about the capital of the Ghana Empire during its long history?
It was moved from one place to another.
What was the result of the Arab conquest of the eighth century for the North African and Berber traders of the Sahara?
They abandoned their old religions and became Muslims.
Study Notes
The Ghana Empire
- The Ghana state became an empire, commanding a large region of trade, security, and strong government, lasting for several hundred years.
- The founders of Ghana were the Soninke people, who spoke a language of the Mande group, still spoken today in the Western Sudan region.
Founding of Ghana
- The exact date of Ghana's founding is unknown, but it was before AD 773, with a possible origin in AD 300.
- The kingdom was known as Wagadu, with the name Ghana coming from one of the king's titles, "ghana" or war chief.
Growth and Power of Ghana
- By 800 AD, Ghana was a powerful trading state, controlling the export of gold and other precious metals.
- The kings of Ghana strengthened their middleman position by bringing lesser states under their control and pushing their borders southeastward towards the gold producers and northward into the Sahara.
- They took control of south-Saharan cities like Audoghast, a famous market.
Government and Economy
- The system of government expanded with the success of trade, becoming more complicated and requiring lesser kings and governors to rule over distant provinces.
- The king needed governors to rule over distant provinces, and the government collected taxes and loyalty from lesser governments.
- The growth of Ghana marked an important stage in social development, providing peace and security over a wide region.
Revenue and Wealth
- The emperors of Ghana established ways of government that reappeared in the Sudan, including methods of raising money to pay for government and producing wealth.
- The power of government increased, and important kings became kings over lesser kings, or emperors.
- The growth of international trade and Ghana's middleman position between the Berber and Arab traders of the north and the gold and ivory producers of the south made Ghana strong and prosperous.
Ancient Ghana
- The state of Ghana became an empire, commanding a large region of trade, security, and strong government, and lasted for several hundred years.
- It was respected by travelers and others who heard of it or read about it, and was deeply respected by those who lived within its borders.
- The founders of Ghana were Soninke, speaking one of the languages of the Mande group, and had good trading relations with Berber chiefs and traders in oasis towns in the Sahara.
Growth of Ghana
- The Soninke built their state before AD 773, but the exact time is unknown.
- A tradition recorded in the Tarikh as-Sudan says there were 22 kings of Ghana before the Muslim Era (AD 622) and 22 kings after, placing the origins of the Ghana kingdom in about AD 300.
- By 800, Ghana had become a powerful trading state, with the king controlling the export of gold and known as the "lord of the gold".
- The emperors of Ghana strengthened their middleman position by bringing lesser states under their control and pushing their borders southeastward towards the gold producers.
Government and Economy
- The king of Ghana needed governors to rule over distant provinces, and a system of government expanded with their success in trade.
- The growth of Ghana marked an important stage in social development, with a big political and economic achievement.
- The emperors ruled, maintained public services, and met expenses through taxation and revenue from trade.
- The power of government increased with the growth of international trade, making Ghana strong and prosperous.
Revenue and Wealth
- The growth of Ghana and other states like Ghana led to the invention of new methods of living together, governing, and producing wealth.
- The emperors of Ghana established ways of government that appeared again in the Sudan, with a single strong authority ruling over many lesser authorities.
- Ghana's strong trading position allowed them to control the flow of gold and maintain its value.
Decline and Legacy
- The Ghana empire fell in the 13th century, but its place was eventually taken by another great empire, Mali, built on the same foundations and methods.
- The Almoravids' invasion led to a long period of confusion between the fall of Ghana and the triumph of Mali.
- The legacy of Ghana continued, with its success in gold trade being copied by other peoples, and its methods of government and trade being adopted by subsequent empires.
This quiz is about the ancient Ghana Empire, its power, trade, security, and government, and how it was respected by travelers and others.
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