Transcript bentleych19

Bentley, Ch 19
Ch 19
I.
Kush (1800 BCE-150 CE): first African civilization after Egypt,
south of Egypt, on Nile’s 3rd Cataract, Capital—Kerma, major
trading center for goods traveling north from southern regions of
Africa, (1700-1500 BCE) greatest power and cultural height,
(1000 BCE) rose in power again, Conquered Nubia (north),
Obtained gold mines, Moved capital to Napata, Society
(Considered themselves Egyptians, Assumed Egyptian royal
titles, Architecture and art was based upon Egyptian lines,
Pyramids—smaller and steeper, (750s BCE) Invaded Egypt but
was kicked out by the Assyrians (664 BCE), Forced farther south
(Closed off contact w/ Egypt, ME, & Europe, Moved capital to
Meroe, 591 CE), Isolation (Turned to Sub-saharan world, Middle
man in good b.w northern Af., ME and Eur, New forms of art and
culture), Government (King elected from royal family, Descent
was through mother’s line, Series of female monarchs), Religion
(Polytheistic, Major Egyptian gods, Regional gods, Lion warrior
god (S. Af)), Technology (New writing style, Spread iron
technology), Why decline? (Loss of fertility in land?, Lost control
of trade routes?, Rival state—Aksum?)
Ch 19
I. Kush (1800 BCE-150 CE):
II. Aksum: Ethiopia, south of Kush, b/w trade routes of
Red Sea and interior Africa, Trade (War elephants,
rhinoceros horns, tortoise shells, incense, spices, (330
CE) King Ezana of Aksum defeated the Kush and
established Aksum as the new kingdom, Converted to
Christianity, Previous to Christianity—polytheistic,
gods controlled nature, Aksumite Christianity
(Replaced Greek and spoke their own native tongue in
rituals (Ge’ez), Carried amulets or charms to protect
them from evil spirits), Controlled the African side of
the Red Sea trade until 700s when Muslims came to
town, Decline (Loss of trade to the Persians and Arabs,
Over exploitation of land)
Ch 19
I.
Kush (1800 BCE-150 CE):
II.
Aksum:
III.
Arab Invasions: Conquest of Egypt (640 CE, Egypt was ruled by Byzantium, Egyptians offered no
resistance to the Arab conquest b/c Byz. rule was corrupt and oppressive, By 642 CE, Arab
armies had expelled the Byz. Administrators), Built the new capital—Cairo (Allowed them to
dominate the Nile valley to the south, Keep open their trade links w/ Syria & Arabia), Aksum in
south (Huge army of archers, Confined the Arabs to north of the 1st cataract, Treaty—lengthy
period of peaceful coexistence and profitable trade), The Maghrib (coastal region of north Africa
west of Egypt, Arabs faced opposition from both the Byz. and the north African Berbers, By
690s, Arabs were ready to attack) Destruction of Carthage (Note: the Byz. had recaptured
Carthage from the Vandals in 533 CE) , Near ruins built Tunis), Attack on Berbers (Unable to
resist the attacks by Arabs, Lack of unity and coordination, Arabs had unity, By 711 CE, Islamic
army had reached the Atlantic coast of Morocco and was ready to cross into Spain), Arab rule in
northern Africa (Arab policy—subject peoples should be given a choice: pay a tax, Convert, Die,
no widespread attempt at conversion), Mostly Arabs and Islam was seen in the coastal towns
(Had slave labor to work the farming estates, Slaves were from Berbers that were captured in
war and from people that were raided or traded from the central and southern Sahara, Early
Arab rulers made little effort to conquer the highlands and desert fringes to the south, As long
as a tax tribute was paid, Berber chiefdoms were left alone), How did Islam spread among
Berbers? (Membership in the army, Became great soldiers and ardent followers of Islam,
Profited from the expansion of the Islamic empire), Arab rule in Egypt (Arabs were
administrators, merchants and landlords, Majority of peasants kept possession of their land,
Arabs regarded Egypt as a major source of wealth (food), Taxes were less oppressive than the
Greeks and Romans, Revived irrigation projects to improve agricultural production, Arabic
language & faith gradually spread t/o population (immigration of peasants in 8th & 9th centuries,
Gradual process of education (Arabic was the language of the educated & govt), By end of 9th
century old Coptic language (descendant of Ancient Egyptian) was the language of a small
minority), The Growth of Muslim states in Northern Africa (North African Muslims were
asserting their independence from the Caliphs of the Arab world, Arabs retained a strong sense
of racial and religious superiority which was resented by the Berbers, Kharijites—opponents of
the caliphate, Criticized the exclusive Arab culture of orthodox Islam, Emphasized the equality of
all professing Muslims , Provided a stimulus for Berber resistance to eastern Arab rule)
Ch 19
I.
Kush (1800 BCE-150 CE):
II.
Aksum
III.
Arab Invasions
IV. Ghana: Primary Source
V.
Almoravids and Mali: Almoravids (Berbers living in the desert north of Ghana, fervent
Muslims and they declared holy war, or jihad, against the kingdom of Ghana, Why was
Ghana weakened previous to Almoravids? Sahara had spread, Overuse of land, (1224) one
of the chiefs that had seceded from Ghana, attacked the capital city of Kumbi-Saleh and
seized the royal family, (1234) a legendary magician and a royal hostage named Sunjata
overcame the usurper and began a new empire: Mali, Location (Further south of Ghana,
Better land, Upper Niger river (bulk of gold trade went up Niger)), Economy (Monopolized
the Trans-Saharan trade network, Taxed the trade but did not control the gold mines, Sent
tribute payments to remain indep of govt) Dependent upon agriculture (Food was
produced by independent peasant farmers in small villages, Paid a portion to village chief
who forwarded the rest to govt, State farms—worked by slaves, Cowry shells—currency
but gold and salt still main form of exchange), Sunjata (r. 1230-1255) (Magician and slave
of Soso, Seized major territories through which gold was traded & built Mali, Introduced
the cultivation and weaving of cotton), Mansa Musa (r. 1312-1337) (Expanded influence
over the large Niger city-states of Timbuktu, Gao, Djenne, Devout Muslim—built mosques,
pilgrimage to Mecca, Timbuktu—built libraries, universities, meeting place of poets &
scholars, major Islamic center in Sub-Saharan Africa), Government (Muslims as ministers,
Outlaying districts—traditional rulers kept in place in return for $, Standing army—
Protected from outside invaders & trade routes), Decline (Weak rulers & short reigns ,
Subject states began to break off & d/n pay tribute $, 1430, Tuareg Berbers in north seized
Timbuktu, 1440, Mossi kingdom in south seized Mali’s southern territories, Kindom of Gao
grew and became Kingdom of Songhay)
Ch 19
I.
Kush (1800 BCE-150 CE):
II.
Aksum
III.
Arab Invasions
IV.
Ghana: Primary Source
V.
Almoravids and Mali:
VI. Songhay: Under Sonni Ali the Great (r. 1464-92) [Songhay became an empire (1468),
Conquered Timbuktu from the Tuareg, Reign was occupied with fighting off the Tuareg
raiders in the south and Expanding the empire through military conquest, Powerful army
of horsemen & war canoes, Criticized by Arabic historians (Raids on Muslim Timbuktu, Lack
of respect for Islam, Tyrant & oppressor, Scholarship in Timbuktu suffered during his reign),
Succeeded by his general Muhammad Ture (Strengthened the administration of the
empire, Used Islam to reinforce his authority and unite the empire, Went on a pilgrimage
to Mecca, In Cairo he persuaded the caliph of Egypt to recognize him as caliph of the
Sudan, Revived Timbuktu as a center of Islamic learning, Did not force Islam on the
common people, Great revival of trans-Saharan trade & the effect was an increase in the
wealth of Songhay, Government Administration (provincial governors appointed by the
king , positions were not hereditary and were dependent upon the king, governor—
recruited his own army to ensure collection of taxes), Economy (income—taxes from the
provinces, royal farms, taxes on trade, currency—salt (long-distance trade) & cowry shells
(internal trade), goods traded—gold, kola nuts, slaves, cloth) Fall of Songhay (Following
Muhammad Ture—short reigns & dynastic disputes, 1580s, Civil war, drought, disease, Lost
control over trade networks, Army was not modernized (firearms)) 1591, Moroccan
invasion of Songhay (Wanted the trans-Saharan trade route, Moroccan sultan, Ahmad alMansur attacked with muzzle-loading guns (4,000 soldiers), Songhay was surprised, Battle
of Tondibi, 12 March 1591—Songhay army threw into confusion and disorder b/c of
Moroccan’s use of guns, Moroccans went on to capture Timbuktu and Jenne but failed in
the long run b/c Songhay launched a guerilla resistance which wore down the resources
and resolve of the Moroccans)
Ch 19
I.
Kush (1800 BCE-150 CE):
II.
Aksum
III.
Arab Invasions
IV.
Ghana: Primary Source
V.
Almoravids and Mali:
VI.
Songhay:
VII.
Swahili & Zimbabwe: Eastern coast of Africa—Swahili city-states (a distinctive coastal society that was Islamic
in religion and culture but primarily African in language, Swahili civilizations expanded southward until they
reached Kilwa in Zanzibar, Kilwa most important Swahili town (out of 40 Swahili towns), Controlled the
southern trade, Sent ships south to form a small trading settlement at Sofala, People of interior brought gold
from the emerging societies of the Limpopo valley and the Zimbabwe plateau, Established control over the
overseas trade of gold, Effect—powerful and wealthy), Structure of Swahili towns (Most were small and only
contained a few stone houses, a mosque, a Muslim ruling family, and a predominantly non-Muslim
population, Larger towns (Mogadishu, Zanzibar, Kilwa) built almost entirely of coral stone and showed signs
of great wealth), Government (Independent, under rule of their own Muslim sultan, Some larger towns
exercised control over neighboring towns), Social Hierarchy (Arabic ruling class—sultan & family, top
government officials, advisors, wealthy merchants (all were Muslim & claimed some descent from Arab
rulers), Bulk of townspeople—non-Muslim craftsmen, artisans, clerks, minor court officials, captains of ships
(distinctly African w/ little or no claim to Arab ancestry), Slaves—Non-Muslim and did the work on farms and
factories), Relations b/w coastal Swahili and interior Africans (Depended upon each other, Interior—supplied
Swahili with ivory, furs, gold, Swahili—supplied Interior w/ cloth, beads, imported pottery, Interior chieftains
were known to attack or besiege Swahili cities, Cause was Swahili raids into the interior for livestock and
slaves), Relations b/w Swahili city-states (Generally peaceable, Rivalry over trade but seldom attacks on each
other, Piracy was unknown before the Portuguese ), Decline (Portuguese trade disrupted the old trade routes
and made the Swahili commercial centers obsolete, Portuguese began to conquer the Islamic city-states
along the eastern coast, Oman in the 17th century conquered all the Portuguese cities along the coast and
the eastern African coast was controlled by the Omani sultanate), Great Zimbabwe (Bantu-speaking people in
south-eastern Africa, Zimbabwe was rich in gold, Exposed to Chinese, Persian, and Indian crafts and culture,
Centralized their government, So far inland that they never felt the political or cultural impact of Islam, Fully
African civilization, known for their elaborate stone buildings, Purpose is unknown, Possibly for defense or to
emphasize the mystery, power and prestige of the king, Wealthy due to the livestock grazing in their territory,
timber & fertile soil, strategic spot for trade), Trade (Coincided with the rise of Kilwa, Supplied the Swahili of
Kilwa with the gold and ivory for their trade, Started as a center of trade for cattle and farming but led to
divisions in wealth, Taxation of trade & tribute payments, Center of craft manufacture—gold and copper into
jewelery, weaving of cloth), Decline (1450 CE, abandoned, Natural resources were exhausted, Shortage of
salt, Land could not support the population, Trade was shifting to north)