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Sub Unit on Africa Day 1-Ghana as a Civilization and Its Trade Routes; Mali and Muslim Influence in West Africa Reading due: text, pp. 259-268 (skip “Bantu Migrations”) What are the major climate and vegetation zones, and where are they located in Africa? What are the various historical perspectives on Egypt? Which one is favored by the authors of this textbook? Where did human civilizations first develop in Africa? What outside civilizations may have influenced Africa? What is the region known as the Sudan, and what changes occurred there? How would you describe their society? What was the Trans-Saharan trade, and what were its effects on west African society? Day 2: Reading Due 268-273 Where was Ghana, and how was it able to thrive on trade? In what ways were it and the Muslim world dependent on one another? How was it governed, and what forces led to its eventual decline? Was Ghana the only organized state in west Africa? How do we know? In what ways was Mali a more sophisticated and better organized state than Ghana? Give at least two achievements. With what other parts of the world did it have active, ongoing contact? In what two ways was Mali an active, contributing part of the Muslim world, rather than a passive recipient of Muslim culture? Day 3- Reading due: 273-281 -What enabled Ethiopia to become and remain a powerful political force in Africa? How was Ethiopia linked culturally to other parts of the world? The East African City-States How did these places come into being, where did they trade, and how did they blend African and Arab cultures? What did they keep that was partcularly African? What did they add that was Arab? And what valuables did they contribute to world trade? Day 3-Olmecs and Mayans. Reading due: text, pp. 389-394; THR, pp. 402-05 Who were the Olmecs? What were their accomplishments, and what was their importance to the development of Meso-American (Central American) civilization? What achievments made the Mayans the most sophisticated of American Indian civilizations. You should be able to name at least four examples, especially from mathematics, astronomy, and literature. What were the of Mayan economy and government like, and what was the relationship between Mayan religion and government? Was that relationship close or distant, and how? Day 6-Aztecs: Background, Religion, and War Reading due: text, pp. 395-400 How did the Aztec/Mexica emerge from unpromising beginnings to dominate Mexico? Who was Huiztzilopochtli, and what were the roles of war, religion, and human sacrifice in Aztec culture? Why did the Aztecs regard the blend of all three as a social necessity? Day 7-Aztec Empire, Strengths and Weaknesses Reading due; text, pp. 400-404; Cortes handout on Tenochtitlan At its height, how was Aztec society organized, and why did it develop as it did? Be able to describe Tenochtitlan (which is now Mexico City), the Aztec economy, its social structure, and gender relations. What impressions did the invading Spaniards have? What did they admire about Aztec civilization, and what did they disapprove? Day 8-The Incas. Reading due: text, pp. 404-410; THR, pp. 405-09 Were the Incas the earliest civilization in Peru? What were the major agricultural accomplishments of the Andean Indians after 200 AD, which furnished their people one of the best diets in the world? How did the Inca come to dominate the west coast of South America? In what ways was their civilization similiar to Aztec culture? In what ways did it stand out? What was the role of religion and warfare? How did Inca government control the economy and people's private lives? How did the cult of the royal mummies eventually undermine the Inca state and cause civil war after 1525? Day 9-Aztecs and Incas, Comparison and Collapse. Reading due: Guns, Germs and Steel Handout How did the Aztecs and Incas compare in their power relationships, limitations, and extent of expansion? What made them especially easy for the Spanish to conquer? Why? You should be able to identify and analyze at least three factors for each culture. Day 10-Review or prep day for unit paper Day 11-Regular in-class test or debrief unit paper, which will be a single essay question. Your topic: select one pre-Columbian American civilization you have studied during this unit and one African civilization. Compare the two. Based on the evidence you see, which one would you consider more advanced, and why? This class may run as a debate. The paper you write will be worth 100 points, so make it good.