Transcript Early Africa

EARLY AFRICA
VOCABULARY
•Desertification
•Savanna
•Natural
resources
•Griot
•Kinship
•Lineage
•Proverb
AFRICA’S GEOGRAPHY
• Africa’s geography includes plateaus in its interior, a
coastline filled with waterfalls, and deserts such as
the Sahara.
AFRICA’S GEOGRAPHY
• The Sahara desert is about 3.5 million sq. miles but
has not always been so big. Thousands of years ago
most of the land was filled with rivers, trees, and
grassland until 6000 years ago when desertification
occurs.
AFRICA’S GEOGRAPHY
• Africa’s most fertile area is located near the equator
known as the Rainforest zone. The area is filled with
savannas which receive hot and wet climate and
causes very fertile lands.
AFRICA’S GEOGRAPHY
• Around the tip of Africa is the Mediterranean zone
which has warm and dry summers and wet winters.
• Africa also has 2 main rivers, the Niger and Senegal
rivers which are where most civilizations formed.
AFRICA’S GEOGRAPHY
• Africa is filled with natural resources such as the
land, water, and materials from earth such as gold,
diamond, and iron. This made Africa a huge
powerful empire based on trade.
EAST AFRICA CIVILIZATIONS
• Around 2000 BCE the Kush dynasty rose in Nubia. By
the late 1400s they lost power but regained power
by the 1000s BCE where the ruled the area until
about 150 CE.
EAST AFRICAN CIVILIZATION
• Around 325 CE King Ezana led Aksum (Axum) into
power over Nubia. Aksum (Axum) became the trade
center of Nubia as they traded glass copper, brass,
gold, and slaves for tools, jewelry, and steel.
EAST AFRICAN CIVILIZATION
• Aksum (Axum) became wealthy and powerful from
trade and they showed it through the many huge
monuments for the gods (stelees).
DECLINE OF AKSUM
• By the 600s Aksum (Axum) decline because of
economic problems and the spread of Islam through
out Africa. As a result Axum moved its capitol from
Adulis to Ethiopia which was away from the coast as
they eventually lost all control
CITY-STATES IN E. AFRICA
• Trading led to the establishment of city-state along
the coast of E. Africa. These city-states traded across
the Indian Ocean with people across the
Mediterranean and India. They traded things like
gold, slaves, ivory, metals and crops.
CITY-STATE IN E. AFRICA
• The Swahili people conducted trade from the interior
of Africa and the people of India, China, Persia, and
the East Indies. These trade activities brought many
foreigners and made E. Africa a very mixed but
successful place.
GHANA DYNASTY
• Around 300 CE the Soninke people formed a
kingdom near the Niger and Senegal rivers that
consisted of many clans and became the Ghana
dynasty.
GHANA DYNASTY
• One of the main clans was the Sisse clan which
became Ghana’s first kings and officials. Ghana
quickly became a powerful kingdom because of
the use of iron tools and weapons.
GHANA’S EMPIRE
• By the 700s Ghana a powerful kingdom known for
the trade of gold and salt. They were part of the
Trans-Sahara which sent salt to west African (Ghana)
and sent gold to north Africa.
GHANA’S EMPIRE
• Since gold was plentiful in Ghana rulers believe they
had to control the amount traded and tax what was
sold. The rulers limited the amount of gold sold and
traded as they kept the rest for themselves.
GHANA’S EMPIRE
• Around the late 1000’s Ghana began to decline from
over population, food shortage and invasion. The
invasion by the Almoravids (Muslims) damaged
Ghana though they never overthrew them but
Ghana never regained its same power.
MALI EMPIRE
• After the fall of Ghana Sumanguru gained control of
most of Africa including Malinke people. The
Malinke people wanted freedom so Sundiata
(Malinke prince) led a rebellion to set Mali free by
1235.
MALI EMPIRE
• Sundiata became a great leader and became
known as Mansa. Under Mansa Mali created a
government ran by a assembly that created laws
dealing with social class, property rights, the
environment, and personal conduct.
MALI EMPIRE
• Mali also took control of gold production and
became a huge leader in trade as they traded gold,
salt, cloth, books and copper across the Sahara with
Kemet and north Africa.
MALI EMPIRE
• By 1312 Mansa Musa becomes emperor of Mali and
made it a Islamic empire. 1324 Mansa Musa took the
largest and most extravagant journey to Mecca
called hajj.
MALI EMPIRE
• On Mansa Musa’s hajj he took about 12000 officials
and slaves and over 80 camels carrying bags of
gold. Musa returned from his hajj with Muslim
scholars, artists, teachers, poets and architects.
MALI EMPIRE
• The Muslim scholars who build huge mosques in Gao
and Tombouctu which became the center of Islamic
education.
MALI EMPIRE
• Under Mansa Musa Mali reached it pinnacle as it
expanded its land to support about 50 million
people but after his death Mali lost control. By the
mid 1400s Mali lost complete control and the
Songhai dynasty began to rise to power.
SONGHAI EMPIRE
• In 1464 Ali Ber took over the Songhai Empire and led
the empire as it conquered the important lands and
trading centers of Tomboucto and Djenne.
SONGHAI EMPIRE
• The rulers who followed Ali Ber continued to make
Songhai the largest empire in West Africa. One of the
greatest rulers was the strong military leader Askia
Muhammad.
SONGHAI EMPIRE
• Askia Muhammad made Songhai a powerful empire
through a strong army and government with great
administrators which unified the empire’s laws,
businesses and trade.
SONGHAI EMPIRE
• Muhammad based his empire on Islam as the laws
were created based on the Quran and all written
and spoken language were converted into Arabic.
This unification made education, government and
trade very successful.
SONGHAI EMPIRE
• After Muhammad’s death his sons could not
continue the empire because of fighting and in 1591
the Songhai Empire was officially conquered by the
gun carrying military of Morocco.
CHRISTIANITY IN E. AFRICA
• Christianity began to enter into Axum from trading
through out Africa. Christianity grew as Frumentius a
Syrian Christian who worked for King Enaza who
converted him by the mid 300’s Axum begin building
churches such as St. Mary.
CHRISTIANITY IN E. AFRICA
• When Aksum moves it capitol to Adulis, Ethiopia and
it became the center of Christianity in E. Africa.
Christianity in Africa continued under the Zagwe
dynasty as they built churches and produce
Christian literature and music.