Seventh Grade Geography. What do we know about Africa? "Let's face it -- think of Africa, and the...
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Transcript of Seventh Grade Geography. What do we know about Africa? "Let's face it -- think of Africa, and the...
Seventh Grade Geography
What do we know about Africa?"Let's face it -- think of Africa, and the first
images that come to mind are of war, poverty, famine and flies.
How many of us really know anything at all about the truly great ancient African
civilizations,which in their day, were just as splendid and
glorious as any on the face of the earth?"--Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Wonders of the
African World... (PBS Online,1999): http://www.pbs.org/wonders/
5 million – 2.5 million years agoEvidence of earliest
human ancestorsHadar, Ethiopia, the
3.18 million year old remains of “Lucy” unearthed (1974 Richard Leahy)
Check the DNA Trailhttp://www.bradshawf
oundation.com/journey/
This is where oldest human fossil remains have been found
20,000 – 13,000 years agoHeight of the last glaciationSea level 425 feet lowerTemperatures lower by 5 degrees CGlaciers descendedTropical Africa drier – Lake Victoria was a
shallow pool and didn’t feed White NileRainforests much reduced
600,000 – 10,000 BCESpread of species across
Africa, Europe and Asia. Use of fire developsEarliest true Human
“homo sapiens” dates from 200,000+ years ago
Nomadic groups – San people spread throughout continent
25,000 years ago Rock paintings in North and South Africa
Early rock painting from Ayou, Tibesti – nomadic herder, followed by wife in litter
12,000 years agoWetter conditions returnedLake Victoria filled up and
fed the White NileLakes formed in inland
basins in central SaharaLake Chad was 12 times
bigger and overflowed into the Atlantic
Niger river fed by streams from Air Mountains
Senegal River reached seaSavanna animals in what is
now desert and pastoralists ( herders)
Sahara 8000-11000 years ago
Paintings in the Desert ( Algeria)
Paintings in the Desert (Garamantia – now Libya)
6,000- 4,000 BCERiver people emerge
along Nile, Niger and Congo rivers
Isonghee people of Zaire ( Congo) introduce abacus
Spread of agriculture south of Sahara – animal domestication
San groups forced into more inhospitable areas – e.g Kalahari
proudafrica.com/ Travel.html
5,000- 4,500 years ago“Final” major
climatic shiftLakes between
tropics dried upAreas turned aridPastoralists
evacuated much of Sahara and entered Nile valley
5,000 years BCEAncient Egytians
established agriculture in Nile valley
Called their land Kemet ( Land of Blacks) and Ta- Meri (Beloved Land)
Food surpluses gave time to develop glass making, pottery, metallurgy, weaving, woodworking, etc.
2,700- 1087 BCEOld Kingdom---Middle Kingdom----New
Kingdom
Origins of Egyptians – an interesting debate
What color were the Egyptians?
2 opposing schools of thought
Africanist Origins in Mount Rwenzori in East Africa, Ethiopia/Nubia or the rest of Africa
Classical Egyptologist-Origins a hybrid of European and African cultures
1000-800 BCEBantu (people) migration
spreads through Sub-Saharan Africa Largest migration in human historyLasted 2,000 years Involved 60 million people
Two branches West -> Angola, Namibia and
BotswanaEast -> Zimbabwe,
Mozambique, S.AfricaSwahili language derives from
BantuSpread iron metallurgy and
agricultural techniques throughout sub-Saharan Africa
500-200 BCENok culture thrives
in Forests of Central Nigeria ( ancestors of Yoruba peoples)Art and Terra Cottas
By 100 CERome conquered Egypt, Carthage and most
of North AfricaGranaries of the Empire
300-700 CERise of Axum
( Ethiopia) - conversion to Christianity
Lalibella- major churches carved out of rock cliffs
Axum
600- 800 CE610 Islam begins639 Khalif Omar conquers Egypt700-800 Islam sweeps across North Africa
and into sub-Saharan Africa740 Moors (Islamic Africans) invade Spain
Bring art, science, engineering, scholarship
750- 1100 CE Growth of trans-Saharan trade
The ship of the desert“Around 750 AD, under the influence of
Islamic peoples, northern and western Africans began to use the camel to transport goods across this forbidding terrain. Camels do several things exceptionally well: they can carry unbelievably heavy loads for impossibly long distances and they can keep their footing on sandy terrain. It was as if someone had invented sand ships and its effect on western African culture was just as profound as if they were sand ships”
Richard Hooker
800-1100 CEGrowth of gold trade across Sahel
“Sahel” –arabic word for “shore/coast”West African gold, Kola nuts, slaves sent
north in exchange for cloth, utensils, saltRise of Ghana, Mali and Songhai Empires
of the SavannaRise of Timbucktu & its University
1200 – 1325 Rise of Mali EmpireLocated near gold
mines and flood plain of Niger River
1324 Mansa Musa – sensational pilgrimage to Mecca – 00’s of camels laded with gold
Sankore Mosque
1400s CESwahili Cities flourish
on East African coastTrade between East
Africa and Middle East/AsiaIndonesians brought
bananas/spicesGreat Zimbabwe builtSonghai Empire
Controlled Niger River with a navy
The beginning of the slave trade1409 – Portuguese reach
Gold Coast (Ghana)1441 – First shipment of
African slaves sent directly to Portugal
1481 Sao Jorge da Mina “slave factory” established – gold, slaves, foodstuffs, ivory exchanged for ironware, firearms,textiles and foodstuffs