Download Notes on Ancient Kingdoms

Ancient Kingdoms and Civilizations
Northeastern African Kingdoms: The Nile River Valley
Egypt
∙ In the Nile River Valley, kingdoms arose because of agricultural growth, urbanization and
the creation of large-scale political units. (5000-4000 B.C.E.)
- Permanent settlements grew into regional states.
- Some of these states united into two states and became known as Upper and Lower Egypt.
(3500 B.C.E.)
- The Ancient Egyptians thought of Egypt as being divided into two types of land:
1. The 'black land' was the fertile land on the banks of the Nile. The ancient
Egyptians used this land for growing their crops. This was the only land in
ancient Egypt that could be farmed because a layer of rich, black silt was
deposited there every year after the Nile flooded.
2. The 'red land' was the barren desert that protected Egypt on two sides.
These deserts separated ancient Egypt from neighbouring countries and invading
armies. They also provided the Ancient Egyptians with a source for precious
metals and semi-precious stones.
- Most ancient Egyptians worked as field hands, farmers, craftsmen and scribes. A small group of
people were nobles. Together, these different groups of people made up the population of ancient
Egypt
- The people of ancient Egypt built mudbrick homes in villages and in the country. They grew
some of their own food and traded in the villages for the food and goods they could not produce.
- The most powerful person in ancient Egypt was the pharaoh (The Great House). The
pharaoh was the political and religious leader of the Egyptian people, holding the titles:
'Lord of the Two Lands' and 'High Priest of Every Temple'.
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As 'Lord of the Two Lands' the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt. He
owned all of the land, made laws, collected taxes, and defended Egypt against foreigners.
• As 'High Priest of Every Temple', the pharaoh represented the gods on Earth. He
performed rituals and built temples to honour the gods.
- The most famous of all ancient Egyptian scripts is hieroglyphic. However, throughout three
thousand years of ancient Egyptian civilization, at least three other scripts were used for different
purposes. Using these scripts, scribes were able to preserve the beliefs, history and ideas of
ancient Egypt in temple and tomb walls and on papyrus scrolls
- The Rosetta Stone is a stone with writing on it in two languages (Egyptian and Greek),
using three scripts (hieroglyphic, demotic and Greek).
- The Rosetta Stone is written in three scripts because when it was written, there were three
scripts being used in Egypt. The first was hieroglyphic which was the script used for
important or religious documents. The second was demotic which was the common script
of Egypt. The third was Greek which was the language of the rulers of Egypt at that time.
The Rosetta Stone was written in all three scripts so that the priests, government officials
and rulers of Egypt could read what it said.
- The ancient Egyptians built pyramids as tombs for the pharaohs and their queens. The pharaohs
were buried in pyramids of many different shapes and sizes from before the beginning of the Old
Kingdom to the end of the Middle Kingdom. There are about eighty pyramids known today from
ancient Egypt. The three largest and best-preserved of these were built at Giza at the beginning of
the Old Kingdom. The most well-known of these pyramids was built for the pharaoh Khufu.
It is known as the 'Great Pyramid'
- The ancient Egyptians believed that temples were the homes of the gods and goddesses. Every
temple was dedicated to a god or goddess and he or she was worshipped there by the temple
priests and the pharaoh.
- The earliest ancient Egyptians buried their dead in small pits in the desert. The heat and
dryness of the sand dehydrated the bodies quickly, creating lifelike and natural 'mummies'.
- Over many centuries, the ancient Egyptians developed a method of preserving bodies so they
would remain lifelike. The process included embalming the bodies and wrapping them in
strips of linen
- The ancient Egyptians believed in many different gods and goddesses. Each one with their own
role to play in maintaining peace and harmony across the land
- Some gods and goddesses took part in creation, some brought the flood every year, some
offered protection, and some took care of people after they died. Others were either local gods
who represented towns, or minor gods who represented plants or animals.
Old Kingdom (Age of the Pyramids)
- 2780-2108 B.C.
- Pharaohs had all political & religious power
- The Pharaoh was a landlord and rented out land to the nobles.
- Pyramids were built to protect the dead.
- Hieroglyphics told the Pharaoh’s story
- Sphinx: Monument that has a body of a lion and head of a man (pharaoh). It represents
the pharaoh as Ra, the sun god.
Declined:
- Collected taxes, but pyramids were still too costly
- Pharaoh began to lose authority to nobles, who gained more authority over nomes
(provinces)
- Crops failed and people suffered.
Middle Kingdom (Age of the Nobles)
• 2100-1788 B.C.
• A noble named Amenemhet I became pharaoh
• He gave power back to the pharaoh
• Moved capital to Thebes
• Arts and literature flourished
• Successful war against Nubia
• Trade was successful
• Declined:
• Weak dynasties
• Hyksos warriors destroyed temples, and burned cities.
New Kingdom (Age of the Empire)
• 1580-1090 B.C.
• Egyptian pharaohs drove out Hyksos warriors
• The Egyptians created a standing army of charioteers, bowman and foot soldiers
• Hatshepsut: Was a powerful female pharaoh, who expanded trade; time of peace; built a
pyramid in Valley of the Kings. It is believed that her step-son (Thytmose) murdered
her, and he led military campaigns that ended the peace.
Declined:
• Small invasions
• A peace treaty between the Hittites and Ramses II caused Egypt to lose some dominance
• Fell under Persia
• Alexander the Great occupied Egypt and Cleopatra became the last pharaoh
• Defeated in a naval battle against Rome and became part of the Roman Empire
Northeastern African Kingdoms: The Nile River Valley
Axum (Aksum)
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The Aksumites were a people formed from the mix of Kushitic speaking people in
Ethiopia and Semitic speaking people in southern Arabia who settled the territory
across the Red Sea around 500 BC.
They lived in the Ethiopian highlands near the Red Sea.
The Aksumites controlled one of the most important trade routes in the world
and occupied one of the most fertile regions in the world.
Adulis was a trade center
Trade in ivory and possibly slaves.
Ezana, a ruler of Axum, declared Axum to be a Christian state , thus making it
the first Christian state in the history of the world, and began actively converting
the population to Christianity
Axum declined due to the rise of the new and expanding religion Islam.
Kush
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2000 B.C. to 350 A.D.
Centered in the region Nubia
In the Northern Sudan Region
The people are called Kushites
Alara is said to be the founder. He unified the Napta based kingdom.
The Egyptians enslaved some of them and took them back to Egypt and stole their
metals, cattle and ivory.
The Black Pharaohs: Conquerors of Ancient Egypt
• Piye
• Its power reached its climax when King Piye conquered all of Egypt in 730BC
• It was a year long battle and when he won, he returned to Nubia with his
treasurers.
● Shabaka
● He came into power when his brother Piye died in 715 B.C.
● He took up residence in Memphis, the capital of Egypt at the time
● He built dykes to seal off Egyptian villages from Nile floods.
● He added buildings and statues in Thebes and the Temple of Luxor
● There is a statue of him wearing the Kushite crown, the double uraeus, that has 2
cobras signifying the legitimacy as the Lord of the 2 lands.
● Taharqa
● Ruled in 690 B.C.
● He was the son on Piye
● When he was a prince, he survived an Assyrian attack
● He built monuments, statues and cartouches bearing his image and name throughout
Egypt.
● During his reign, there were great harvests
● He launched a massive building campaign in Thebes and in Napata
● He battled with the Assyrian king Esarhaddon
● After a 15 day-long battle with the Assyrains, the Nubians were pushed back to
Memphis and eventually, Taharqa (after being wounded 5 times) escaped and left
● The Assyrians slaughtered the villagers and made piles of their heads
● In 669, he recaptured Memphis, but a new Assyrian king attacked and Taharqa fled to
never see Egypt again.
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They lost their power in Egypt to the Assyrians, who had iron weapons.
Their culture was similar to that of Egypt. Same beliefs and gods.
There are more pyramids in the Sudan than in Egypt.
They were fishermen & farmers
Alphabet Script = Merotic Language
Men and women held power jointly. A lot of
art work depicts women giving birth to gods.
They traded along the Nile River and eventually with the Greeks.
Resources: Gold, ivory, copper, ebony and also traded pottery
In 2003, Charles Bonnet discovered 7 large stone statues of Nubian Pharaohs along the
3rd cataract of the Nile River.
They spread their knowledge of iron-making to other parts of Africa
Meroe became a powerful trade & military center.
They trained elephants in warfare and used them for transportation & trade.
Wrestling was a very popular sport.
Kush declined in 300 CE due to the growth of the population and industry, which had a
devastating impact on the environment. They were defeated by an Axum army.
The Sudanese Government is currently building the Merowe Dam that will flood the
terrain where the Nubian Civilization flourished.
Southeastern Africa
Great Zimbabwe
-1300-1800 CE
- Zimbabwe means “great stone houses”
- Settled by Bantu speaking people
-Control in gold & copper mines and production associated with trade.
-Rich in resources, impressive stone buildings, and perhaps traded with China, empires along the
Indian Ocean and the East African coast.
-During the Iron Age, cattle herders began accumulating wealth.
- Huge stone walls enclosed the city. Other walls were built within the structure to separate
areas.
- Granite bricks were used without mortar or cement to hold them in place.
-Different class levels, with a group of religious specialists as the elite.
-Decline due to the environment collapsing from over-exploitation and the gold trade declined
because of falling world prices. Invaders destroyed the center.
Western Sudan
Ghana
- 200 B.C
- “Land of Gold”
- The capital was Kumbi- Saleh which consisted of 2 distinct towns: A Muslim Town with a
dozen mosques; and a royal compound, where royalty and the wealthy lived.
- Early people of Ghana were Soninkes, who spoke Mande.
- Soninke kings were called Ghanas,, which means warrior king
- It was able to control the roads and charge taxes on caravans passing through the
kingdom.
- Main items traded were gold, iron, slaves & salt, which was highly prized for its ability to
preserve food.
- Due to trade, the Arabic language was introduced along with the Islamic Religion.
- Gold found in graves, which shows wealth and status.
- Oral histories provide information about the decline.
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Declined: Kingdom’s gold sources dried up, trade ended abruptly & settlements withered
away. In 1051, the Almoravids (Berbers)of North Africa invaded.
Mali took over
Western Sudan
Mali
-1200s-1500s AD
- Predominantly a Mandingo state.
- Captial was Kangaba, which was moved to Niani
- Mali was divided into provinces which were ruled by mayors called mochrifs, who were
appointed by the king.
- Timbuktu & Gao were trading centers.
-Involved in the trans-Saharan gold & salt trade.
-A great leader of the Keita Clan of the Malinke, named Sundjata (Sundiata Keita), unified the
empire.
- Sundiata means “hungering lion”
-The most famous king was Mansa Musa, who conversted to Islam. He made a famous
pilgrimage to Mecca, where he gave away great amounts of gold.
- Mansa Musa expanded trade and commerce and created an environment for scholars, judges,
doctors, and religious leaders. All were given special status.
- When he returned from Mecca, he brought Es-Saheli, an Arabic architect & scholar. He
designed new buildings and mosques.
-1400s Mali declined due to a series of weak kings, deterioration of climate, Black Death and
civil wars. Competing Muslim states and Europeans began to draw wealth away from the
center of the empire in the 1400s and 1500s.
- Songhai took over
Songhay (Songhai)
-1350-1600
- 1st large city was Kukya
- The Berbers, a nomadic people, captured Kukya and established a settlement later called Gao.
- Gao became the most important trade and commercial center in Songhay.
- Gao was settled into 2 sections: one was by Muslin Traders; the other was inhabited by local
Songhay people & Berber Kings, known as the Dia Kings.
- Gao once fell to Mali, but was recovered by 2 Songhay princes who escaped. They were Ali
Kolon & Sulaymna Mar, who founded a new succession of rulers called Sunni.
-Founded by Sonni Ali, who was an enemy of Islam and captured Timbuktu from Mali.
- It became a center for scholarship and commerce. The University of Sankore was located there.
- Another center of learning was Jenne, which was more beautiful then Timbuktu & had a
university for research in Medicine.
-The heart of the kingdom lay along the Niger River.
-The region of farmers and hunters was united into a trading network.
-Sonni Ali built an army of horsemen, who pushed Songhai’s control deep into the desert.
-Timbuktu became a great center for Islamic learning, under Askia Muhammad. Greek
and Latin manuscripts were used.
- Askia organized a central government made up of ministers, all of who had to answer to the
king.
West Central Africa
Kongo
-1200 to 1400
-On the lower Congo River
- Capital in Mbanza
- King was the Manikongo, which was a divine kingship
- Ancient-Kikongo-speaking peoples probably arrived in the region from the north as
part of the larger Bantu expansion.
- Was divided into six provinces, each administered by a governor appointed by the
Manikongo.
-Specialized skills in farming & iron production, which led to trade in salt and copper.
- Principal products of the Empire included ivory and hides, and later as trade flourished with
Europeans, slaves.
-Shrines to the “spirits of the land” were located along the river.
Igbo Ukwu
-9th Century
- Home to the Ibgo peoples
-Found in the forests of Nigeria
-Had a complex political system.
-Bronze sculptures found, which the copper used in making them suggests that the people
accumulated wealth from the long distance trade.
Ife
-1000-1300
-Now Nigeria
- Ancient Yoruba City
-Had a complex system of beliefs, economies and political organization.
-It was urbanized.
- Known for its ancient bronze, stone and terracotta sculptures
- Declined as political and economic power shifted to the nearby kingdom of Benin
Benin
-1300 to 1800
- The powerful ancient Benin kingdom was founded by the son of an Ife king
- The kingdom and the capital city were both called Benin
-Had a divine kingship, which was descended, claimed the kings, from an Ife royal.
-The king or Oba of Benin represented the physical and spiritual life of the kingdom and its
peoples
-Society was organized around a central palace.
-Historical events are represented in art, carved on ivory tusks and cast into Bronze and Brass
plaques and sculptures.
- The people of Benin believed in many gods and goddesses, spirits, and magic, and the power of
witchdoctors.
-By the 1400s the city was a huge walled fortress.
-The kingdom welcomed trade with Europeans and exported pepper, ivory, gum, and cotton
cloth.
- The British finally conquered Benin in the late 1800's