Ms. Susan M. PojerHorace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY
Political unit having an extensive territory comprising of a number of territories. They may consist of
many nations and are generally ruled by a single supreme authority.
Characteristics of An Empire
• Include Class Division• Relatively large geographical area and population• Have a supreme ruler at the top of the class
pyramid• Usually include people with different cultures and
languages.• Contain an active network of trade both within the
empire and with groups outside the empire
Empires arise through the unification of groups for trade purposes or by a dominant groups
conquest of surrounding areas.
Empires are most likely to arise in areas that allow relatively easy transportation and
has rich natural resources.
Berbers
GOLDGOLD
SALTSALT
Gold-Salt Trade
Gold “Money”, Ghana/Ivory Coast
Ghana Empire [4c-11c]
Salt
Mali Empire [13c-15c]
GOLDGOLD
SALTSALT
Timbuktu-”Heavenly Clay”
Timbuktu Rooftop, Mosque
Tuaregs
Marketplace near the Niger River
Mosque in Gao
Great Mosque at Djenne, Mali
Distant Mosque at Djenne, Mali
Sundiata [1210-1260]
“Lion Prince”
Mansa Musa [r. 1312-1337]
European Map
Mansa Musa [r. 1312-1337]
Songhai Empire [15c-16c]
GOLDGOLD
SALTSALT
Sunni Ali [r.1464-1492]
Askia Mohammed [r.1493-1529]
Askia Mohammed’s Tomb [1443-1538]
Gao, Mali
Benin Empire [15c-19c]
Bronze Heads from Benin (16c)
Benin Bronze Leopard