Transcript The Rise of African Civilizations

The Rise of African Civilizations
Chapter 13, Section 1, page 444
Africa’s Geography – page 445
• a vast and diverse continent
– hot, steamy rain forests on either side of the equator
– tropical grasslands, known as savannas, cover most
of Africa north and south of the rain forests
– deserts → Sahara in the north and the Kalahari and
the Namib in the southwest
– coastal areas in the north and the south have a
Mediterranean climate (mild and good for growing
crops)
Africa’s Geography – page 445
The African Plateau – page 446
• Much of Africa rests on a
plateau (a high area of
flat land).
• Great Rift Valley
West African Empires – page 447
• Berbers
– camels – “the ships of the
desert”
– trade caravans
• cloth
• salt
– trade led to city growth,
which led to empire building
Rise of Ghana – page 448
• Ghana
– c. A.D. 400s
– “crossroads of trade”
– grew wealthy from the
salt and gold trade
– traders paid taxes as they
passed through
– military might (iron
weapons, manpower)
– control of the goods people
wanted
Rise of Mali – page 448
• Ghana declined in the
1200s due to warfare and
poor harvests.
• Mali
– griots – African
storytellers
– Sundiata Keita – warrior
king who took control of
Ghana in 1240
Rise of the Songhai – page 449
• Mali declined after the
death of Mansa Musa.
• Songhai
– largest empire in West
Africa in the 1500s
– Sunni Ali – stormed
Timbuktu and threw out
the Berbers
– decline came through
technology
Kingdoms of the Rain Forest – page 450
• Benin – empire in the rain forest
– kingdoms were shielded by the rain forests
– food surpluses allowed for artisans
East Africa – page 451
• Axum – powerful Ethiopian city-state which
owed its power to its location on the Red Sea.
– dhow – sailboat with a triangular sail invented by
Muslims
• other important cities: Mogadishu, Kilwa, Mombasa,
Zanzibar
• Great Zimbabwe – founded around A.D. 700 by
the Shona people (virtual tour)
Chapter 13, Section 1 Questions
Write the following questions and then answer them.
1. Describe the geography of Africa.
2. Why was salt such an important commodity?
3. Who was Sundiata Keita?
4. What natural protection did the rain foreat
kingdoms enjoy?
5. What city-states grew as trading ports in East
Africa and why were they successful?
Africa’s Government and Religion
Chapter 13, Section 2, page 460
Objectives
After this lesson, students will be able to
• explain how the growth of empires led to centralized
governments led by kings.
• discuss how traditional religions and Islam shaped
African cultures.
Government and Society – page 461
• ruler and subject
– West African governments utilized central
governments ruled by kings.
– both sides benefited
Ghana’s Government – page 461
• kings relied on council of ministers
• lesser kings ruled provinces
• chieftains oversaw their clan – a group of people
descended from the same ancestor
• tight grip on power
Mali’s Government – page 462
• similar to Ghana, but on larger scale
– Sundiata put generals in charge of provinces.
• accepted because they were often from the province they
ruled
• protected people from invaders
– Mansa Musa rewarded citizens with gold, land, and
horses.
• Military heroes were awarded the “National Honor of the
Trousers.”
• Songhai’s government was similar.
Traditional African Religions – page 463
traditional religions varied
most believed in a supreme being
some believed in a hierarchy of gods
some believed that ancestors stayed with the
community
• Christianity is the most widely practiced religion
in Africa today.
• North Africa is predominantly Muslim.
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Islam in Africa – page 464
• Mali and Mansa Musa
– Mansa Musa allowed
different religions, but
worked to strengthen
Islam.
• building initiativies
– A.D. 1324 – Mansa Musa’s
hajj journey (huge
production)
Songhai and Askia Muhammad – page 465
• Sunni Ali – poser Muslim
• Muhammad Ture takes
control
• Askia Muhammad close
support for Islam
• Islam in East Africa
– Swahili – language that
means “people of the
coast”
African Society and Culture
Chapter 13, Section 3, page 468
Objectives
• After this lesson, students will be able to:
– describe how the Bantu migrations spread common
ideas to much of Africa.
– discuss how the African slave trade disrupted African
society and carried African peoples and cultures around
the world.
Life in Medieval Africa – page 469
• Bantu – “the people”
– migration helped spread culture across medieval
Africa
– spread pottery making and mining skills
– responsible for common ideas and traditions
Importance of Families – page 469
• family was the basis of African society
– extended families – families made up of several
generations
– matrilineal – traced family descent through mothers
– children extremely important (ancestors)
Education and Women – page 470
• Children were educated by their family and
other villagers.
• oral histories – stories passed down from
generation to generation (griots)
• Queen Nzinga – battled the Portuguese slave trade
Slavery – page 472
• slavery within Africa
• the European slave trade
– 1440s – The European slave trade was started by
Portugal.
– African slaves harvested sugarcane originally.
African Culture – page 474
• “a nation of dancers, musicians, and
poets”
– African art
• religious meaning and story telling
• cave paintings were the earliest art
forms
• woodcarving and weaving also important
– music and dance
• celebrated important events
• enslaved Africans used music to remind
them of their homeland
– storytelling
• tradition of the griots