Transcript Ancient Africa and the Classical Age

Egyptians and Beyond
ANCIENT AFRICA AND THE CLASSICAL AGE
THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONS
5000 BC-332 BC
Chapter 2
Section 2: The Egyptians
Pages 26-34
TEACHING OBJECTIVES:
Discuss the major achievements of each period
of Egyptian civilization
 Identify the functions of the individuals in the
class structure of Egyptian society
 Examine the importance of religion in the
Egyptian culture
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GEOGRAPHY
VOCABULARY
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Dynasty
Pharaoh
Theocracy
Polytheism
Monotheism
Hieroglyphics
Lineage
Griots
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Egypt
Nile River
Kush
Sahara
Kalahari
Niger River
Congo River
Zambezi
Red Sea
Atlantic Ocean
Indian Ocean
KEY VOCABULARY AND GEOGRAPHY
LOCATE THE FOLLOWING ON THE MAP
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Egypt
Nile River
Kush
Sahara
Kalahari
Niger River
Congo River
Zambezi
Red Sea
Atlantic Ocean
Indian Ocean
THE EGYPTIANS
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Predynastic
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Old Kingdom
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2700 – 2200 BC
Pyramid Age
Middle Kingdom
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3100 – 2700 BC
King Menes unites Egypt
2000 – 1800 BC
Princes of Thebes
New Kingdom
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1600 – 1100 BC
Imperialistic Egypt
EGYPTIAN SOCIETY AND SOCIAL CLASSES
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Upper Class
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Middle Class
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Priests, court nobility
and land nobility
Skilled artisans,
traders, teachers,
artists, doctors and
scribes
Lower Class

Slaves and peasants
RELIGION PLAYS A KEY ROLE

Theocracy
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Polytheism vs.
Monotheism
Mummification
Good Conduct
Hieroglyphic showing
mummification
WHAT DID THE EGYPTIANS
CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY?
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Religion
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Writing
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Calendar
Building
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Hieroglyphics
Math
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Theocracy
Pyramids and Sphinx
Medical advancements
Example of calendar
HISTORY’S MYSTERIES
King
Tut’s Tomb?
What
about the Sphinx?
How were the pyramids
built?
AFRICANS HAD TO ADAPT
 The
geography of
Africa helped to
vary cultures
 Coast
 Desert
 Savanna
 Forest
Name of
Region
Size of
Area
Native
Vegetation
Agriculture
Population
Way of
Life
Coast
Desert
Savanna
Forest
CREATE THIS CHART IN YOUR NOTEBOOK…
FARMING
HERDING
HOW DID THE CONDITIONS FORCE AFRICAN
FARMERS TO ADAPT?
KUSH
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Hieroglyphics
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Ironwork


Not deciphered
Stronger tools and
military
Cultural center

On a trade route so
many people passed
through
GOVERNMENT DEVELOPS AS LIFE
GETS MORE COMPLEX
Lineage
 Religion
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Priests that can
predict crops and
rain
Politics
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Chiefs develop
power through
raising armies,
collecting taxes, and
settling court cases
THE IMPORTANCE OF HISTORIANS
Africans passed
their history on by
word of mouth
 Predict how this
may cause
problems

 Griots
THE POWERFUL EMPIRES OF AFRICA
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People looked to
trade
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Silent Trade
Ghana

Wangara—Gold for
salt
Mali
 Songhai
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Taghaza—Salt for
gold
THE ANCIENT KINGDOM OF GHANA
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Large empire based on
trade and agriculture
by 600 AD
 Controlled the gold
trade
Strong central
government controlled
by a partly divine king
 Appointed officers
 Final judge in court
cases
THE POWER PLAYER

When the king
appears in public…
 Servants
 Princes
and
Advisers

King controls the
gold
 Trade
 Taxes
KUMBI-SALEH
Capital of Ghana
 2 cities
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 King
 Traders

Decline
 Attack
of the
Almoravids
THE MALI EMPIRE
Sundiata and the
king of Ghana had
a past
 Convert to Islam
 Timbuktu becomes
a center of wealth
and learning
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THE SONGHAI EMPIRE
Struggled to seize
power
 Sonni Ali takes
power as a brutal
tyrant
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 Led
by fear
ASKIA MUHAMMAD
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Successor to Sonni
Ali
 Reversed
the
harsh policy
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Expands the
Songhai Empire
SONGHAI DECLINE
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Most organized
and efficient West
African states
 So
what
happened?
EAST AFRICA
The trade winds
blew sailors back
and forth between
India and Africa
 Islamic trade of
the 7th century
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KILWA IN PRESENT DAY TANZANIA

Ibn Batuta
 Most
beautiful and
well constructed
towns he had seen
 Large
palaces
 Mansions
 Mosques
 Town squares
 Arched walkways
SWAHILI CULTURE THRIVES
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Swahili Culture
 Blend
of Islamic,
African, and Asian
cultures and
languages
 The Portuguese try
to set up trade
with the Swahili
TRADE TURNS VIOLENT
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Trade on the East
African coast was
peaceful until the
Portuguese
showed up!
ZIMBABWE DEVELOPS IN THE INTERIOR
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In 1868, a
European hunter
stumbled across
the ruins of this
civilization!
FOUNDERS OF ZIMBABWE

The Shona
 Descended
from
the Bantu people
who probably
migrated from the
Congo forest
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By the 1400’s,
they were well
developed
ZIMBABWE—THE CITY AND THE RULER
Semi-divine King
 Palace was a busy
place!
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 1000
people lived
there including the
king, his wives,
advisers, and
officers
DECLINE OF ZIMBABWE
Portuguese trade
 Internal quarrels of
the ruling family
 Ndebele—people
from the south
attacked
 European
prospectors
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THE FOREST STATES DEVELOPED
STRONG GOVERNMENTS

Agriculture and
trade flourished
 Benin
 Dahomey
 Kongo
 Asante
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Slave trade
especially
BENIN
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Strong kings
(Obas) help Benin
grow wealthy and
powerful
 1000s
AD-1st Oba
 1300s—Oba
Ewedo
 1400s—Oba Eware
the Great
BENIN
Religious rulers
 Role of women
 Government
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DUTCH GEOGRAPHER’S DESCRIPTION
The town is composed of 30 main street, very
straight and 120’ wide, apart from an infinity of
small intersecting streets. The houses are
close to one another, arranged in good order;
they have roofs, verandahs, and balustrades
[railings]…they wash and scrub their houses so
well that they are polished and shining like a
looking-glass…They are people who have good
laws and a well organized police.
EUROPEANS ARRIVE IN WEST AFRICA
1472-Portuguese
arrive in Benin to
trade muskets and
goods for gold
 By 1500, English,
French and Dutch
were also trading
with Benin
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SLAVE TRADE
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Slavery was
allowed
 Begin
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to kidnap
Middle Passage
 10
weeks long ship
ride
 Held in chains
packed below deck