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What were African Civilizations
and Their Roles?
Global History & Geography
th
10 Grade Boys & Girls
Al-Madinah School
13 January 2017
Africa
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Second Largest Continent
Varied Geography – Mostly high Plateau
in the interior, smooth coast line, rivers
with rapids and falls, great rift valley
Sahara, Savanna, and Rainforests
People had village governments,
lived in extended family of kinship
networks, had animistic beliefs.
Nature of African States
1.
Trading Empires in
the West
A.
B.
C.
2.
Kush
Axum,
city-states in East
Africa
1.
2.
3.
Ghana
Mali
Songhai
Trading empire of East
Africa:
A.
B.
3.
4.
Mogadishu
Kilwa
Sofala
Stateless societies in
Southern Africa
• Zimbabwe
States of East Africa
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Kush
•
•
•
•
•
•
Grew in Nubia around 2000 B.C.
Controlled by Egypt until 1000 B.C.
750 B.C. Kushites Conquered Egypt.
Their capital was meroë.
Mainly exported iron products.
Other exports included:

Ivory, gold, ebony and slaves.
• Declined with the rise of Axum
Axum

Located in Present day Eritrea, & Ethiopia
• Created by a mixed population of African
farmers and Migrants from the Arabian
peninsula
• Christianity was official religion

Introduced by the Shipwrecked Syrians
• Became a center of thriving trade network
because of the Red Sea.
West African Trading Empires

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Traded gold for salt with North
African Berbers and Arabs
Needed Salt for dehydration &
preservation of food.
Three became most famous
• Ghana
• Mali
• Songhai
Ghana

Around C.E. 800 some farming villages united
in the savanna to create the kingdom of Ghana
•
•
•
•
•
•
Kumbi Saleh was capital
Traded with Muslim traders in the North
Became rich
The king maintained a large army to keep peace.
Adopted Muslim Military technology & political ideas.
Muslims settled in the Kingdom, but most people
remained animists.
Mali
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A Powerful Kingdom that emerged around
1200.
Conquered Ghana
Started their capital at Timbuktu
Rulers were called Mansas
Under Mansa Musa became very rich and
powerful
Mansa Musa ruled according to Islamic
Shari‘ah
City of Timbuktu became center of learning
and trade.
Decline of Mali & Rise of Songhai

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After Mansa Musa civil war broke out and
Mali gradually declined.
The empire was divided in 1359 C.E.
In its place rose a new Empire – Songhai.
Songhai kingdom began in Gao around 1009
C.E.
A ruler called Kossi converted to Islam and
Songhai became an Islamic Kingdom.
Songhai
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The largest West African trading Empire
Sunni Ali Conquered Timbuktu and Jenne
Controlled the city of Timbuktu and trans-Saharan
caravan routes
Muhammad Ture later removed Sunni Ali’s son and
founded Askia Dynasty.
He ruled according to Islamic Shari’ah and had an
effective organization of the state.
After Muhammad Ture Songhai declined.
Later destroyed by infighting and Moroccan invasion.
Other West African States

Benin
• Grew south of Savanna in the rainforest.
• Famous for its wood curving.

Congo
• Further south in the rainforest was another
Kingdom called Congo.

Homework: Questions 4, 5, 6 & 7 on
page 234
Smaller States in West Africa

Hausa City-States
• Existed in present
Nigeria
• Famous for cotton
textile and
leatherworks
• Traded with North
and West African
empires

Benin:
• Existed in the rain
forests of Guinea
• Ivory, pepper and
slave trade
• Well known for
bronze and brass
casting.
East African City States

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Mogadishu, Kilwa, & Sofala were major
city-states in the east
Traded with Arabia, Persia, India and
Southeast Asia.
Created a unique culture, known as
Swahili – a mixture of Arab and Bantu
African culture.
Aspects of African Society

Relationship
Between Royalty
and Commoners
• Mostly informal
• Merchants had
special favor from
the king

Family & Lineage
• People lived in
Extended families of
Kinship Network
• Elders had much
power

The Role of Women
• Generally subordinate to men
• Some societies were matrilineal

Community Education
• From mothers boys and girls learned language,
family history & songs
• Mothers continued to teach their daughters
about the ways of women
• Sons then learned from father about fishing,
Hunting, farming
• The whole community played role in bringing up
children
Aspects of African Society

Slavery:
• Slaves included captives of war, debtors or
criminals
• Worked as domestic servants and farmhands
or soldiers
• They could win their freedom

Religious Beliefs:
• Animism, Christianity and Islam
Homework

Questions 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 on page 241