Chapter 8

Geography of Africa

Kingdom of Axum [300-700]

Stele, Ezana’s Royal Tomb,Aksum (4c)

AXUM’SACHIEVEMENTS

AXUM’SACHIEVEMENTS

Controlled NE African

Trade

Controlled NE African

Trade

WrittenLanguageWritten

Language

Spread Christianityin No. & E.

Africa

Spread Christianityin No. & E.

Africa

TerraceFarmingTerraceFarming

BuiltStelaeBuilt

Stelae

Berbers

GOLDGOLD

SALTSALT

Gold-Salt Trade

Timbuktu-”Heavenly Clay”

Timbuktu

Major trading hub Gold, slaves, and salt

Center of Islamic learning ~13th century 150 Islamic schools Cosmopolitan community

Religious and ethnic toleration common

Ancient Ghana

First known kingdom in the western Sudan Founded between fourth and eight centuries

CE Warfare and iron weapons created an empire

Commerce Camel caravans Imported silk, cotton, glass beads, horses,

mirrors, dates, and salt Exported pepper, slaves, and gold mined in

another region and taxed passing through

Empire of Mali, 1230-1468 Larger than Ghana

Greater rainfall More crops

Sundiata [1210-1260]

“Lion Prince”

Mansa Musa [r. 1312-1337]

European Map

Empire of Songhai, 1461-1591 The last and largest of the Sudanese

empires Sunni Ali

Reigned 1464-1492 Conquered people paid tribute Generally ran their own affairs

Benin Empire [15c-19c]

Benin

Small powerful kingdoms Benin

Little influenced by Islam or Christianity Trading center

Gold, peppers, ivory, and slaves By 17th century dependent on slave

trade

BantuMigration

s:

1000 BCE

To

500 CE

Swahili States

Built around trade with India and East Asia

Travels of Ibn Battuta

African Trade Routes

Arab Dow off the coast of Zanzibar