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Geography of Africa• Large continent but coastline has few ports, harbors, or inlets
Challenging Environments• Africa has many deserts, including huge Sahara• The southern edge of the expanding Sahara is called the Sahel• Rainforests found near central part of continent
Welcoming Lands• Northern coast and southern tip of Africa have Mediterranean climates• Savannas, or grasslands, cover almost half of Africa
Transition to a Settled Lifestyle• Agriculture probably develops by 6000 B.C.• As the Sahara dried up, farmers move to West Africa or Nile Valley• Agriculture allows permanent settlement, governments to develop
Early Humans Adapt to Their Environments
Nomadic Lifestyle• Earliest people are nomadic hunter-gatherers• Herders drive animals to find water, graze pastures
Societies Organized by Family Groups• Extended families made up of several generations• Families with common ancestors form groups known as clans
Local Religions• Early religions usually include elements of animism—belief in spirits
Keeping a History• Few African societies have written languages• History, literature, culture passed on by storytellers called griots• Cultures in West Africa are advanced long before outsiders arrive
Learning About the Past• Artifacts reveal how people lived in the past• Evidence of sub-Saharan cultures producing iron around 500 B.C.
The Nok Culture• Nok—West Africa’s earliest known culture—made iron tools, weapons
Djenné-Djeno• From 600–200 B.C., cities begin to develop near rivers, oases• Djenné-Djeno—Africa’s oldest known city (250 B.C.), discovered in 1977• Bustling trade center; linked West African towns, camel trade routes
Bantu-speaking Peoples• Bantu-speaking peoples—early Africans who spread culture and language• Originally lived in savanna south of Sahara; now southeastern Nigeria• The word Bantu means “the people”
Migration Begins• Bantu speakers migrate south and east starting about 3000 B.C.• Live by slash-and-burn farming, nomadic herding• Share skills, learn new customs, adapt to environment
Causes of Migration• Bantu speakers move to find farmland, flee growing Sahara• Need iron ore resources and hardwood forests for iron smelting• Within 1,500 years they reach southern tip of Africa
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Effects of the Migration• Bantu speakers drive out some inhabitants; intermix with others • Bantu migrations produce a great variety of cultures• Language helps unify the continent
Aksum’s Geography• Aksum—kingdom replaces Kush in East Africa; blend of Africans, Arabs• Located on Horn of Africa, modern day Ethiopia and Eritrea• Trading kingdom linking Africa and Indian Ocean trade routes
The Origins of Aksum• Land first mentioned in Greek guidebook in A.D. 100 • Rulers take control of areas around Blue Nile and Red Sea
Aksum Controls International Trade• Aksum is hub for caravan routes to Egypt and Meroë• Adulis, chief port, has access to Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean
A Strong Ruler Expands the Kingdom• King Ezana—strong ruler of Aksum from A.D. 325 to 360 • He conquers part of Arabian peninsula, now Yemen• In 350 conquers Kushites and burns Meroë to ground
Aksum Culture• Blended cultural traditions of Arab peoples and Kushites• Adulis population: Egyptian, Arabian, Greek, Roman, Persian, Indian • Greek is international language; Aksumites trade gold to Rome
Aksumite Religion• Believe in one god, Mahrem, and that king descended from him• Are animists—worship spirits of nature and ancestors• Exposed to Christianity by traders
Aksum Becomes Christian• Young King Ezana educated by Christian man from Syria• As ruler, Ezana declares Christianity as kingdom’s official religion• Aksum, now part of Ethiopia, still home to millions of Christians
Aksumite Innovations• Written language, minted coins, irrigation canals and dams• Aksumites invent terrace farming due to hilly location • Terraces—step like ridges constructed on mountain slopes
Islam• Aksum kingdom lasts 800 years; witnesses rise of Islam religion• Followers of prophet Muhammad conquer all of Arabia by 632
Islamic Invaders• Between A.D. 632 and 710, Islamic invaders leave Aksum alone• In A.D. 710, they attack port city of Adulis, causing Aksum’s decline
Aksum Isolated• As Islam spreads, Aksum rulers move capital to northern Ethiopia • Isolation, soil erosion, deforestation cause loss of remaining power