Page 1 Chapter 1: Beginnings in Africa Notes Section 1: Human Origins and early Civilizations Human history began in Africa o appeared in East Africa about 3 million years ago Early hominids learned to make tools Hominids could control o Homo sapiens Scientists not exactly sure but think first appeared 200,000 years ago in East Africa men Every person alive belongs to species Homo sapiens Humans as hunters and gatherers o Hunted and bison o Scavenged for to eat o Learned to grow own food; planted crops and raised o Began the of plants and animals Developing societies o People settled down and formed o Societies developed cultures with languages, religion, and o Over time people all over the world o Advanced civilizations developed in o All played roles in shaping later and ideas Ancient Egypt Egypt was one of the greatest civilizations in world history. Its location was important the valley was fertile with rich layers of soil. A Mighty Kingdom Strong l government Ruling considered gods on Earth; had nearly unlimited power; tremendous responsibilities Thousands of and priests helped rule; slaves assisted
Page 2 Dynasties Pharaohs divided by, or ruling families 28 dynasties in 1,500 years; Old, Middle, and New are studied To collect taxes, pharaohs took ; population of four million largest in Africa o Egyptian Achievements Tombs Pharaohs buried in o Gigantic structures; masterworks of ancient engineering Hieroglyphics Writing that covered tomb walls Intricate and Represented objects and ideas One of first systems; shaped writing of later cultures Elaborate temples Later pharaohs buried in Used stone columns as support Innovation copied by other civilizations Greek scholar Herodotus Traveled to Egypt in 450 BC; wrote about his journey Amazed by achievements he saw;, record-keeping, and mathematics o Daily Life Average Egyptians Majority were Grew crops to survive to work on building projects during flood season Farmers and families moved to near work projects and in settlements
Page 3 Career Paths Learning to important; meant career advancement Skilled writers could become Egypt s bureaucratic network helped run government; opportunities limited to Egyptian could sign contracts and own property Ancient Kush o Nubia Located of Egypt along the Nile; name meant land of the blacks Home to another advanced civilization called Egypt and Kush had relationship o 750 BC After centuries of Egyptian rule, Kushites took advantage of in power Kush invaded and took over Egypt; made ruler new pharaoh Kush ruled Egypt for several Egypt and Kush o Traded goods with Egypt; obtained from Africans farther o 1500s BC Egyptian troops conquered and much of Kush o Introduced elements of such as clothing styles and pyramid building Kushite Achievements o Kushite civilization centered on capital city of Located just north of present-day Khartoum, in the Sudan Great center; traders went north through Meroë; east to Red Sea and China and Japan; west to central Africa working most famous industry; iron traded for luxury goods o Achievements Developed own form of ; still undeciphered today Built huge buildings, small pyramids, and temples; made pottery Attacks from outsiders army attack in 23 BC failed; desert people began attacks Meroë destroyed in AD 350 by
Page 4 Kushite civilization dominated Nile region for 2,000 years Created own Egyptian-Nubian culture that influenced generations Section 2: GREAT Empires of West Africa Ghana crossed the Sahara in search of valuable products. Sub-Saharan West Africa grew wealthy from trade in slaves and gold. o Ghana Trade Ancient Ghana trading center Camel caravans from north brought commodities copper,, luxury goods, and Traded for gold, ivory, slaves Taxes supported powerful Location of secret; from 700 to 1000 Ghana at height of power o Wealth and Splendor Ghana so wealthy it was known as kingdom of Writers told of rulers surrounded in luxury; worshiped as Wealth and fame attracted ; constant attacks scared merchants off Loss of weakened empire; Ghana collapsed Mali o New Empire Small kingdom within rose to take Ghana s place Took control of caravan routes across Wealth and power followed; became leading power in West Africa o Achievements Emphasis on ; built great universities for religion and law Books in appeared on trade routes; scholars came to study in Mali Spread ; built mosques; converted thousands to Islam
Page 5 o Mansa Musa Reigned from 1307 to 1337; known for and Devout Muslim; took famous pilgrimage to holy city of Travel took a year; lavished gifts along the way Songhai Developed from Mali empire; won back independence o Growth 1464, King Sunni Ali Ber in power; brilliant Equipped army with horses; built navy to patrol Niger River Skilled politician; maintained rural and town Three main cities Gao, Timbuktu, and Djenné Excelled in philosophy,, and medicine o Decline Conquered states reasserted ; weakened Songhai defeated by army of Spaniards and Moroccans brought shift in trade routes to Atlantic coast Portuguese explorers built forts and trading centers City of grew wealthy from trade; created art not empire Traditional West African Culture o No written languages Great wealthy empires; little known of daily life Some information of ruling classes; knowledge comes from writings of visitors Advanced civilizations of West Africa lacked languages First-person important o Two means to learn critical; spoken record from generation to generation; accounts of great deeds and customs of ancestors also study traditions still practiced in region People study village and family life, religion, and the arts
Page 6 o Religion Central feature of village life; ancestors spirits stayed nearby after death; carved statues marked sacred places Practiced belief that natural objects have spirits o Village and Family Life typical; father, mother, children, and close relatives In West African society each person loyal to family o Age-sets formed special bonds; worked at specific tasks together o The Arts Detailed carvings from wood and bronze; created fantastic Music and dance part of rituals and ceremonies; kept history alive through storytelling, acted as advisors to kings Section 3: Kingdoms of East and South Africa East Africa o Geography Birthplace of first Stunning land; savannahs, valleys, and mountains Wild animals included lions, elephants, and Ocean to east led to Middle East and India sailors came in 900s Beginning of long-term trade with others o Trade with Other Lands Dealt with people from other continents Middle Eastern and Asian traders came for and exotic animals Main trade was in Introduced new like bananas, yams, and coconuts; these foods became diet staples
Page 7 o Trade Influences Arab traders Came between 1000 and 1300; married women; set up trade centers Became intermediaries with African interior societies Serviced that sailed Indian Ocean Exchanged axes, glass, and wheat for ivory, tortoise shells, cinnamon, rhinoceros horns, and palm oil Chinese connection Chinese heavily traded Remnants from seventh-century dynasty to thirteenth century Song dynasty Evidence shows in 900s Chinese depended on East African ivory for ceremonial objects Rise of Powerful Kingdoms By 100 ships from Middle East and Asia traveled along the coastline as far as Powerful states had developed Greek Egyptian published small describing Azania and city of Rhapta had great stature; each place within region had own ruler o Zanj Later in 900 Arab al-masudi wrote of Zanj s leopard skins used to make saddles and King of Zanj Waklimi, supreme lord known for and integrity If ceased to rule justly, would be o Swahili Culture Swahili coast Swahili word for coasts Bantu-speaking farmers and also traded Blended cultures of African and Arab life New ideas Before land owned by whole ; everyone profited
Page 8 Arabs brought ideas of land ownership Islam gained influence; spread Language Arabic words introduced speakers adopted thousands of Arabic words Arabic alphabet as means of writing own language Customs changed changed; imported cloth worn as modest clothing No empire; civilization spread for 1,000 miles City of Kilwa highly praised Kingdoms of Central and Southern Africa o Rise of mighty kingdoms in central and southern Africa Cultures had less contact with outside Meant writing systems; no travel narratives to give details of life o The Kongo Kingdom Farmers on Congo River since AD 800; by 1400 small states emerged By 1500 king ruled over area with excellent government structure Provincial governors, judges, and administrators dealt with local disputes, tax and matters By 1480s traded heavily with Portuguese o Bantu Migrations With growing, people of different ethnic groups moved south Spoke related languages These people often called Bantu and movement south known as o Great Zimbabwe Bantu Kingdoms One of greatest arose in 1400s; called 10,000 20,000 people; major trading center Zimbabwe term for court or house of a chief Most zimbabwes consisted of clusters of buildings on hills Great Enclosure Massive wall feet tall and 17 feet thick; masterpiece of architecture and design Continent of movement and change could not hold out against influences; slave trading ripped Africans from their homes to distant lands