1 / 8

Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa. Basics. Main source : oral tradition Sub- Saharan Africa not fully integrated in Eurasian & Mediterranean trade networks , barrier : Sahara desert , also coasts less favourable for harbours

hasana
Download Presentation

Sub-Saharan Africa

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Sub-Saharan Africa

  2. Basics • Main source: oral tradition • Sub-SaharanAfrica not fullyintegrated in Eurasian & Mediterraneantradenetworks, barrier: Sahara desert, also coastslessfavourableforharbours • Still: powerful empiresandfarreachingtradenetworks after Bantu Migrations, lowerdevelopedtraderelationswithIndiaandMediterranean • After around 1000: end ofmost African migrations, Sub-SaharanAfricamainlyinhabitedby Bantu speakingpeoples: Kushite, Sudanese, Mande

  3. Africa

  4. After Migrations • Integrationsofgathering & huntingsocietiesbycultivators & herders • Metallurgyalreadyintroducedby 500 BC • Importantfruit: Bananasintroducedaround 300-500 byIndonesiansailorstoMadagascar • Population growth: from 3.5 mio (400 BC) to 22 mio (1000) • Relations withforesters (Pygmies): usedasguides, laterpartlyintegrated

  5. Politcal Organization • Bantu societies: stateless, segmentary, nostatestructures (beaurocracy), instead: kinship • Political entities: villages (withrulingcouncils, groupofvillages: districts), occasionally larger groups (Tiv/Nigeria: upto 1 mio) • Necessitytoorganizedefence: attimesneedformore formal structures, riseofchiefs, smallkingdoms, e.g. Ife, Benin, Kongo • Kingdomof Kongo: around 1200, structure: King withcentralgovernment, 6 provinces, mid 17th centuriescolonizedby Portugal

  6. African Politics & Islam • Islam introducedbycoastal & trans-saharanmechants (Sahara never absolute barrier), tradecenter: Gao • Kingdomof Ghana: from 4th/5th century, tradecenterforgold, ivory & slaves, capital: Koumbi-Saleh (15-20000), large army (200000), tributaryoverlordship, by 10th centuryconversionto Islam • Mali Empire: from 13th century, outstandingruler (Sundiata, r. 1230-55) controlover W-African tradeuntil 15th century, capital: Niani, furthersupportof Islam by King Mansa Musa (r. 1312-37), bylate 15th centuryoutruledbySonghay Empire

  7. East Africa & Indian Ocean Trade • First by Hellenistic & Roman merchants • Later by Malay (Madagascar), Swahili traders, centers: Mogadishu, Mombasa, Zanzibar (city states), outstanding: city state of Kilwa (1300-1505) • Also connections with Central Africa: Zimbabwe with center „Great Zimbabwe“, palace city with 18000 inhabitants

  8. Culture & Society • Around 11th century: hugediversity • Socialdiversificationmainly in kingdoms • Gender relations: specialisedworkmostlybymen, women: pottery, childcare, both: landcultivation, littleIslamicinfluence • High importanceofagegroups • Slavery: traditional, slavetradeacross Indian Oceanand Sahara, 750-1500: around 10 mioSlavestraded, 869-883 Slave revoltledby Ali bin Muhammad • Religion: strong presenceofmonotheism (priests: „Diviners“), Christianity: from 1st century in Egypt, 4th century: Axum, 13th century: EthiopiankingsclaimdescendancefromIsraelie King David • Islam: mainlysince King Mansa Musa (seeabove)

More Related