1500 BC- 500 AD

African
Civilizations
Chapter 8:1-3
 In Your Notes:
• Check to make sure you have all main ideas
that are underlined in your notes. If you do
not, add them. If you do, mark/circle them to
find them more easily.
 Section 1: Diverse Societies in Africa
• Main Idea= African peoples developed diverse
societies as they adapted to varied
environments

• Why it matters now? Differences among

modern societies are also based on people’s
interactions with their environments
• THEMES: how geography affects societies
 Setting the Stage
• “Geography is the
mother of history”
• First human
inhabitants
• Early civilizations:
Egypt, Carthage and
Kush
Geography
• Second largest continent in the
world
• Occupies 1/5 of the earth’s land
surfaces
• Coastline has few harbors and
ports
• Africa lies on the equator (tropics)
• From plains to snowy mountains
• From drought to rainfall
• From rocky to rain forests
 From Deserts to Rain Forests
• Desert makes up
40% of continent
• Deserts can reach
136 degrees
• Sahara and
Kalahari Deserts
• Rainforests- ½ of
the middle of
Africa
From Fertile Farmlands to Grassy
Plains
• Fertile land on the
northern and southern
tips
• Largest amount of
people live on the
savannas (grassy plains)
• Savannas cover 40% of
continent
• Desertification= a
transformation from
fertile land into desert
 Early Humans Adapt to Environment
• People moved
outward from the
area’s first migration
and adapting to the
different geography
• Developed
technologies to
adapt
Nomadic Lifestyles
• Roamed for food
• Still nomadic hunter-
gatherers roaming
Africa today
• Eventually,
domesticated animals
• Many modern Africans
are pastoral herders
Transition to a Settled Lifestyle
• Agriculture probably began
in 10,000 BC
• To survive many moved to
the Nile Valley and into
West Africa
• Savannas had the best
agricultural lands
• With an increased amount
of food, some could
practice other activities
(metal, pottery, jewelry)
 Crash Course:
Agricultural Revolution
 Organizing Africa
• Different activities led to
organizing into
communities with simple
governments
• Village chief
• Centralized powers
• These communities
developed into great
kingdoms
 *African Common Characteristics
• 1. Importance of basic social unit,
the family
– Extended family
– Clan= a group that shared common
ancestors
• 2. Belief in one creator, or god
– Animism= religion in which spirits
played an important role in
regulating life
– Spirits sent to animals, plants and
natural forces
• 3. Oral stories kept history alive
– Griots= storytellers
 Early Societies in West Africa

• How we know about Africa?

– *oral history
– Recent archaeology findings
 Djenne-Djeno
• *Djenne= ancient city in
Africa, objects dated from
250 BC, oldest known city in
Africa south of the Sahara
• Uncovered in 1977
• Excavated a huge mound
with hundreds of thousands
of artifacts
• 50,000 residents
• Knew how to smelt iron
• Houses of mud bricks
• Trading center
 The Nok Culture
• Nok= earliest known
Western African culture
• Present day Nigeria
• 500- 250 BC
Farmers
• *First people to know how
to smelt iron
• Might have taught Djenne
people
• Might be direct ancestors
of some modern Africans
 Section 2: The Kingdom of Aksum &
East African Trade
• Main Idea: The kingdom of Aksum became an
international trading power and adopted
Christianity

• Why it matters now? Ancient Aksum, which is

now Ethiopia, is still a center of Eastern
Christianity
• THEMES: religion spread through trade
 Setting the Stage
• Before Nok, Kush in the
east was powerful
enough to conquer
Egypt
• Assyrians came in and
drove Kushites south
• Kush remained powerful
until it was conquered
by another more
powerful kingdom
The Rise of the Kingdom of Aksum
• Aksum= kingdom located
in modern day Ethiopia
• Legend traces back to King
Solomon of ancient Israel
• May have begun when
Arab people crossed the
Red Sea into Africa
• Mingled with Kushites and
passed along their written
language, skills with stone
and building aqueducts
Aksum Controls International
Trade
• Location made it an important trading
center
• Red Sea coastline gave it influence
over sea trade on the Med. Sea &
Indian Ocean
• Along caravan route to Egypt and
Meroe
• Adulis= Aksum’s chief seaport
• *International trading power
• Traded: salt, rhino horns, tortoise
shells, ivory, emeralds, gold
 A Strong Ruler Expands the Kingdom
• Ezana= great ruler that
brought the kingdom
of Aksum to its height
• Conquered Yemen,
then Kush
• Burned Meroe to the
ground
 A Cosmopolitan Culture Develops
• Aksumites had a diverse
culture
• Adulis (port) was
cosmopolitan
– Included people from: Egypt,
Arabia, Greece, Rome, Persia,
Indian and Byzantium
• Out of all the languages of
Aksum, *Greek stood out as
the international language of
the time
Spread of Christianity
• One god= Mahrem
• Believed their king was
directly descended from him
• Animists, honored nature
and dead ancestors
• Offered sacrifices to those
spirits, Mahrem and the
Greek god of war, Ares
• Christianity spread from
trade
 Split over Christianity
• Dispute: nature of
Christ, whether he was
divine, human or both
• Coptic Church of
Egypt and the
Ethiopian Orthodox
Church (22 million
members) formed
 Aksumite Architecture

• Used stone instead of mud bricks

• Carved stone to fit perfectly
Language & Agriculture
• Askum was the only ancient
African kingdom known to
have *developed a written
language
• First south of the Sahara to
mint coins
• Terrace farming
• Dug canals to bring in water,
dams, holding tanks to store
water
 The Fall of Aksum
• Lasted 800 years
• Declined under invaders
who practiced Islam
• Muslims conquered and
spread religion along as
they went
• Ports were cut off, and the
kingdom declined in
international power
Section 3: Bantu Speaking Peoples
• Main Idea: Throughout history, people have
been driven to uproot themselves and explore
their world

• Why it matters now? Migration continues to

shape the modern world
• Theme: Migration
 *Causes for Migrations
• Environmental changes
• Economic pressure
• Political and religious
persecution
• Technological development

• Best way to study patterns

of movement is to study the
movement of languages
Massive Migrations
• *900 languages in the
Niger-Congo all stemmed
from the parent
language, Proto-Bantu
• Bantu-speaking peoples
• Bantu= “people”
• Bantu went south
spreading their language
Bantu Language
 Bantu Culture
• Not one people but a
group of people
• Nomads
• Skill of ironworking*
• Spread their skills
• Within 1500 years they
were able to reach the
southern tip of Africa
*Why did the Bantu migrate?
• 1. Agriculture fed more
people and therefore
population increased and
they had to move (not
enough land to go around)
• 2. Advancing Sahara Desert
(desertification)
• 3. War between tribes
 *Effects of the Bantu Migration
• Spread of culture
• Intermingling and
intermarrying
• Were a unifying
influence throughout
Africa
“Guns, Germs & Steel: Bantu &
Ancient Africa”