Transcript Africa Ch.8
Africa (600-1450) Politics Bantu (stateless societies) – – – – – Bantu Migrations: Movement of Africans across the continent of Africa (3000 B.C.E.-5OO C.E.) Possession of iron metallurgy; tools were used to clear land for agriculture (basis for society) and herding throughout Africa Bantus reached their limits by 1000 B.CE,; established decentralized governments-"segmentary societies"-that governed through family and kinship groups Each village (usually 100 people) was ruled by a council, made up of male heads of families, and a village chief; a group of villages formed a district (usually the highest form of government) Increased conflict among Bantus led to the formation of organized militaries and formal government institutions Empire • Kingship legitimized by Islam: ‘People of The Book’ • Islamic urban center • Bantu Migrations – Swahili language and culture: eastern African maritime trade and fishing • Trade centers – Mogadishu, Lamu, Mombasa, Kilwa, Mozambique, and Sofala Economy • Trade, with Islam as unifying factor • Trans-Saharan trade routes • Ghana (gold), Mali; gold, salt, honey, slaves, ivory, • Trade with Byzantine Empire • Agriculture Global Trade Trans-Saharan trade routes • Exports: salt, gold, honey, slaves, ivory • Imports: copper, horses, textiles, figs, iron Indian Ocean Trade • Muslim, Indian, E. African, and Chinese traders • Gold, iron, ivory, tortoise shells, leopard skins exported Social: Class/Gender • • • • • • Merchants valued patriarchal society rich women more restricted Islamic law ‘People of the Book’, religious tolerance class centered around age group Religion • Animistic (spirits associated with forces of nature), belief that souls of dead ancestors could intervene in a person’s life • Christianity in Ethiopia and Egypt • Islam ..\..\..\Videos\APWH\Islam_Comes_to_Timb uktu.mov Science/Inventions Northern Africa • Hellenistic thought • Science/math Sub-Saharan Africa • Benefited from contact from the outside world • Imported pottery, glass, and textiles Architecture/Art • Linguistic • Architectural • Artistic version of Christianity • Calligraphy • Mosques, minarets What was the cultural impact of the spread of Islam into Africa? Write your hypothesis on your paper What was the cultural impact of the spread of Islam into Africa? • Islam naturally spread into regions that had contacts with Islamic societies: the savanna south of the Sahara and the Indian Ocean coastline. • The cultures with the heaviest initial impact were the Sudanic kingdoms and the East African city-states. • Islam brought to the various African peoples a universalistic religion and legal system. What was the cultural impact of the spread of Islam into Africa? • Its adoption strengthened the power of local rulers and provided contact with the wider commercial world of Islam. • Trade went to the Mediterranean and the Middle East through the Sahara, and across the Indian Ocean to Arabia, Persia, and India. • Africa exported raw materials in return for imported manufactures. Compare the Islamic impact on India and Southeast Asia with that on sub-Saharan Africa. Write your answer on your paper. Compare the Islamic impact on India and Southeast Asia with that on sub-Saharan Africa. • Muslims arrived as traders and began a peaceful conversion process. • Political systems remained under the control of indigenous rulers. • The process made possible an accommodation between Islam and indigenous religions that made long-term conversion to Islam easier. • Islam spread from cities to the countryside. • The arrival of Muslims brought Africa into the Islamic world network; Southeast Asia and India expanded earlier contacts.