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Hist 1012 PP (Chapter 1-3)
Hist 1012 PP (Chapter 1-3)
102)
Wolkite University
College of Social Sciences and the Humanities
Concise Notes (PPT)
Developed by: Gebeyaw Abebe
October, 2022
“A People without the knowledge of their past
history, origin and culture is like a tree without
roots.” Marcus Garvey
Unit One: The Nature and Uses of History
A. Nature of History
The term history derived from the Greek word Istoria,
meaning “inquiry” or “an account of one’s inquiries.”
The first use of the term is attributed to one of the ancient
Greek historians, Herodotus (c. 484–425 B.C.E.), who is often
held to be the “father of history.”
In ordinary usage, history means all the things that have
happened in the human past.
Cont’d
• Academically, history can be defined as an organized and
systematic study of the past. The study involves the discovery,
collection, organization, and presentation of information about
past events.
• The major concern of history is the study of human society
and its interaction with the natural environment, which is also
the subject of study by many other disciplines.
Cont’d
• What differentiates history from other disciplines is that while
the latter study the interaction between humans and their
environment in the present state, history studies the interaction
between the two in the past within the framework of the
continuous process of change taking place in time.
• History is conventionally divided into ancient, medieval and
modern history. This is what we call periodization in history;
one of the key characteristics of the discipline.
B. Uses of History
• Peoples live in the present and plan for and worry about the
future. History, however, is the study of the past.
• Why bother with the past while living in the present and
anticipating what is yet to come?
1. History Helps Better Understand the Present
2. History is the only significant storehouse of information
available for the examination and analysis of how people
behaved and acted in the past.
Cont’d
• People need to produce some sort of account of their past
because it is difficult to understand problems that face
humanity and society today without tracing their origins in the
past.
• knowledge of relevant historical background is essential for a
balanced and in-depth understanding of many current world
situations.
3. History Privies a sense of Identity
The term “Ethiopia and the Horn” refers to that part of Northeast
Africa, which now contains the countries of Djibouti, Eritrea,
Ethiopia, and Somalia.
The region consists chiefly of mountains uplifted through the
formation of the Great Rift Valley.
The Rift Valley is a fissure in the Earth’s crust running down
from Syria to Mozambique and marking the separation of the
African and Arabian tectonic plates.
The major physiographic features of the region are a massive
highland complex of mountains and plateaus divided by the
Great Rift Valley and surrounded by lowlands, semi-desert,
deserts and tropical forests along the periphery.
Cont’d
The diversity of the terrain led to regional variations in
climate, natural vegetation, soil composition, and settlement
patterns.
As with the physical features, people across the region are
remarkably diverse: they speak a vast number of different
languages, profess to many distinct religions, live in various
types of dwellings, and engage in a wide range of economic
activities.
At the same time, however, peoples of the region were never
isolated; they interacted throughout history from various
locations.
Cont’d
Thus, as much as there are many factors that make people of a
certain area unique from the other, there are also many areas in
which peoples of Ethiopia and the Horn share common past.
The history of Ethiopia and the Horn has been shaped by
contacts with others through commerce, migrations, wars,
slavery, colonialism, and the waxing and waning of state
systems.
Yet, the evolution of human history owed much to geographical
factors notably location, landforms, resource endowment,
climate and drainage systems which continue to impact, as
incentives and deterrents, the movement of people and goods in
the region.
Geographical features –Makers of History
A. Spatial Location
Location in relationship to other spaces and locations in the world
is one geographical factor that has significant bearing on the ways
in which history unfolds.
Ethiopia and the Horn lies between the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden
and Indian Ocean on the one hand, and the present-day eastern
frontiers of Sudan and Kenya on the other.
Since early times, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden linked
Northeast Africa to the Eastern Mediterranean, the Near and
Middle East, India, and the Far East.
Likewise, the Indian Ocean has linked East Africa to the Near and
Middle East, India and the Far East.
B. Drainage System
Introduction
Ethiopia and the Horn Region is referred to as the cradle of
humankind.
It is also a region where early civilizations including food
production, making tools and religious practices were
initiated..
These developments contributed to the social evolutions,
economic formations, and socio-cultural and political settings.
The purpose is to show that the region is home to diverse
peoples, cultures (languages, religion, customs…) and
economic activities.
2.1. Human Evolution
It covers the period from 3.4 million to 11, 000 years B. P.)
Characterizing features
It was the period when human being sheltered in caves,
developed language, and used stone , bone, wood, furs, and
skin materials to prepare food and clothing.
There was sex-age labor division with able-bodied males as
hunters of fauna, and children and females as gatherers of
flora.
2. Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age)
2. Nilo-Saharan
Anywa, Berta, Gumuz, Kacipo-Balesi, Komo, Kunama,
Kwama, Kwegu, Majang, Mi'en, Murle, Mursi, Nara, Nu’er,
Nyangatom, Opo, Shabo, Suri and Uduk.
Factors that affect languages
Classroom Discussion
1. Unlike northern part of Ethiopia, Islam made a rapid and
successful expansion (penetration) into Southeast and eastern
part of Ethiopia. What factor hindered Islam to made
penetration into the interior part of northern Ethiopia? What
fertile conditions facilitated (encouraged) Islam to easily
penetrate into Southeast and Eastern part of the Ethiopian
Empire?
Important Gateways (Doors) of Islam
1. Dahlak
Dahlak route played a minor role in the introduction of Islam
into the interior as Christianity was strongly entrenched as a
state religion in Aksum and later states of northern Ethiopia
and open proselytization of Islam was prohibited.
2. Zeila
The port of Zeila on western coast of the Gulf of Aden served
as an important gateway for the introduction of Islam mainly
into the present day Shewa, Wollo and Hararghe.
Cont’d
Islam firmly established itself in the coastal areas by the
eighth and ninth centuries.
From there, it radiated to central, southern, and eastern
Ethiopia through the role of Muslim clerics who followed in
the footsteps of traders.
In this regard, it should be noted that Sheikh Hussein of Bale,
a Muslim saint (Waliy) of medieval period, played very
important role in the expansion of Islam into Bale, Arsi and
other southeastern parts of Ethiopia and the Horn.
Another Islamic center in this region is Sof Umar cave.
Expansion of Islam into the South East Region
Introduction:
From ancient times to the end of the thirteenth century,
societies in Ethiopia and the Horn underwent political,
economic, social and cultural changes.
One remarkable change in the period was the evolution of
states with diverse socio-cultural and economic settings.
While agriculture and trade contributed to the evolution of
states, religions shaped the socio-cultural setup of the states in
different parts of Ethiopia and the Horn.
Cont’d
The results of the period were socio-cultural achievements
such as architecture, writing, calendar, numerals etc.
Furthermore, the unit explains the external relations of the
period that had significant role in shaping the history of
region.
3.1. Emergence of States
Punt was the earliest recorded state in Ethiopia and the Horn.
The evidence on Punt comes from Egyptian hieroglyphic
writings.
Scholars have not reached agreement as to the exact location
of Punt.
The varieties of incense and myrrh mentioned in the writings
have suggested northern or northeastern Somalia to some
scholars while others are inclined more towards Northern
Ethiopia because of the reference to gold, ebony and monkeys.
B. Da’amat and Other Cultural Centers in Northern
Ethiopia and Eritrea
A. Yeha:
Is located 30 kms to the northeast of Aksum and was the oldest of
these centers.
It probably emerged around 1, 000 BC as a small emporium
where South Arabian merchants and their agents bought and
stored ivory, rhinoceros horn and other commodities coming from
the interior.
It seems that the period of its prosperity (zenith) was from about
750 to 500 B.C.
Remains of walls of some of its buildings and stone masonry as
well as still standing temple and inscriptions indicate Yeha’s glory.
B. Hawulti Melazo
Aksum was the only one with sufficient sources of timber for ship
building and in those days, the technology for it existed in Adulis.
Aksum had a large fleet of ships, which was used not only for
trade but also for its wars across the Red Sea.
Kaleb (r. 500-35) expanded overseas territories of Aksum beyond
Himyar and Saba, but the local prince Dhu-Nuwas was converted
to Judaism, marched to Zafar and Nagran, and killed many
Christians.
Byzantine Vasaliev Justinian (r. 527-65) with sanctification of
Patriarch Timit III (518-538) provided Kaleb with a number of
ships to transport armies led by Julianos and Nonossus against
Dhu Nuwas.
Decline and Collapse of Axsumite State
A. Bizamo:
It was a kingdom located on the southern bend of Abay River
just opposite to the present districts of Gojjam and around the
current Wambara area.
It was founded in the eighth century and had early connections
with Damot.
B. Damot: was a strong kingdom that expanded its territories
into most of the lands the south of Abay and north of Lake
Turkana as well as west of Awash and east of Didessa.
Motalami was a prominent king of Damot in the thirteenth
century.
C. Enarya
Ethiopia and the Horn had contacts with Egypt since at least
3,000 B. C.
These relations may be the region’s earliest contacts with the
Mediterranean world or the Greco-Roman World.
It had very close relations with all commercially active South
Arabian Kingdoms starting sometimes before 1,000 B.C.
The introduction of Christianity to Aksum established a new
pattern of relation between the region and Egypt.
Cont’d
Following the introduction of Christianity, Aksum established
close relationship with the East Roman or Byzantine Empire
with which it shared common commercial interest in the Red
Sea area against their rival Persians.
Yet, in the seven century, this relation became complicated and
began to deteriorate.
The rapid expansion of the Muslim Arabs through the Near
and Middle East, North Africa and the Nile valley led to the
decline of Aksumite land routes and shipping lines.
Cont’d
Successive Egyptian Muslim rulers began to use the consecration
and sending of a bishop as an instrument to further their own foreign
policy objectives and to squeeze concessions from Ethiopian
Christian rulers, who reacted by threatening to divert the Nile.
The coming to power of the Mamluk was followed by the
reciprocal persecution of religious minorities.
Moreover, the Mamluk presented a barrier to the contacts between
Christian Ethiopia and European states.
Activity. What was the Crusade?
What was the core objective of the Crusade? Discuss the possible
consequences of the Crusade?
Explain the story of Prester John of Indies?
3.4. Economic Formations
A. Agriculture and Land tenure systems