Trade and Travel in Sub-Sahara Africa

Themes civilization bias development of complex political structures crosscultural contacts: trade

Environments

• diversity
  
  
• regions: North Africa vs sub-Sahara; West Africa, East Africa, South Africa; interior
  
  
• connections:
  
  
• climate* and lifestyle
  • Sahara , oasis *
  • Niger river *
  • agriculture: Bantu kraal *
  
  
  
• geographic barriers
  
  

Bantu Migration and Early Complex Political Development

• Bantu migrations ca. 2000 B.C.E. to 1000 C.E.
• "stateless societies"
• regional states and kingdoms
• central and interior: Kongo 14th-15th centuries (map)
  
  

Trade and Empire in East and West Africa

West Africa

• trans-Saharan trade; camels*
  
  
• Kingdom of Ghana 11th-13th centuries
  
  
• kingdom of Mali 13th-15th centuries (map)
  • Sundiata 1230-55
  • Mansa Musa 1312-37
  • gold [Alt gold map]
  
  
  

East Africa

• Swahili
  
  
• Indian Ocean trade (map)
  
  
• Swahili City States:
  Kilwa ca. 1000-1500
  
  
• South of the Sahara: * c. 1000-1500
  Great Zimbabwe; ruins
  
  

Culture and Worldview

• Economic:
  • migration:
    
    
  • trade:
    
    
• Political:
  • family, tribe, village
    
    
  • kingdoms and empires
    
    
• Social:
  • family, kinship
    
    
  • role of women
    
    
  • slave trade
    
    
• Legacy of Lifestyles: family, consensus in Nigeria
  
  
• Religions
  • animism, polytheism
    
    
  • magic and spiritual world
    
    
  • Christianity: Egypt, Nubia, Axum (Ethiopia 300-1000 *; *) *; *
    
    
  • Islam *; *: north Africa, Sudan
    
    
• Worldviews
  • evidence: African view versus "western" view
    
    
  • griot * [Kora Music clip]: Sundiata
    
    
  • nature of the world
    
    

Conclusions

• civilization and bias
  
  
• comparisons: similarities and differences