Vocabulary
monotheistic
polytheistic
population explosion
pilgrimage
synagogue
mosque
Notes
The Kush civilization developed in Africa around 2000 BC.
It was located south of ancient Egypt along the Nile River.
The civilization was located in present day Sudan.
During the period of time known as the New Kingdom in Egypt, the Egyptians conquered the Kush.
The civilization continued to be part of Egypt for 500 years.
During this time the Kushites learned many things from the Egyptians.
They learned to worship Amon-Re.
They also learned to work copper and bronze.
The Kush adapted hieroglyphics for their own language.
The Kush eventually became independent of Egypt.
They set up a capital at Napata.
Caravans were sent to Egypt from the capital.
The caravans carried gold, ivory, and other trading goods.
Two Kushite kings Kashata and his son Piankhi conquered Egypt about 750 BC.
They ruled Egypt for 70 years.
The Assyrians then invaded Egypt.
The Kushites retreated to their own territory south of Egypt.
The Kushites learned iron smelting from the Assyrians.
They made farming tools from iron which helped them become successful grain farmers.
Kush traded grain and became a powerful trading civilization.
Eventually, Kush�s capital was moved to Meroe.
This city was on the Nile River.
It was a good site for farming grain.
Also, Meroe was a good trading and transportation site.
After 600 years, Kush began to decline.
The Aksumites burned the city of Meroe in 350AD.
Aksum was located in Africa in the present day country of Ethiopia.
Aksum was also a trading kingdom.
It traded with people from the north near the Mediterranean Sea and people from the Far East.
Trading with the Greeks probably lead to the Aksum conversion to Christianity in 324 AD.
The Aksumites developed many innovations.
They created a writing system used throughout their kingdom.
Farming was done on terraces or raised level land.
They minted coins to be used in trade.
Stone monuments were also built.
Aksum began to decline in power when other kingdoms began to interfere with their trade.
Arab armies also began to invade land in northern Africa around 600 AD.
The Aksumites retreated to inland areas of Africa during this invasion and remained there for about 1000 years.
In western Africa the kingdom of Ghana was founded around 200 AD.
The Ghanians were skilled in the process of smelting.
They made iron weapons for their armies.
Their strong weapons allowed them to expand their territory and gain control over major trading routes in West Africa.
The most important trading goods in West Africa were gold and salt.
Caravans carried salt south to other parts of Ghana.
The caravans came from southwest Ghana with gold.
A gold mine was in Wangara, a city in southwest Ghana.
Gold miners in Wangara and merchants from Ghana used a system called silent barter to trade goods.
Merchants would travel to the gold mines in Wangara and place their goods on the ground.
They would then beat drums to signal the miners to come to trade.
While the merchants were in hiding, the miners would look at the items for trade and leave gold for them.
If the trade was acceptable to the merchants, they would take the gold and leave.
If the trade was unacceptable, the merchants would beat the drums and go into hiding again so the miners could leave additional gold for the items.
After trading with the miners, the merchants would travel to North Africa to trade their gold for goods from other merchants.
Ghana was not able to survive after a war with Arabs from North Africa in 1042 AD.
The territory that was once the early kingdom of Ghana is now a country of Africa given the same name.
After Ghana�s defeat by the Arabs, Ghana was defeated by King Sundiata Keita of Mali.
Mali used Ghana to strengthen his kingdom.
Sundiata Keita reestablished the salt and gold trade begun by the Ghanians.
He also began a permanent army to keep the kingdom safe from foreign enemies.
The kingdom was arranged into provinces governed by a general.
One of the most famous Mali kings, Mansa Musa I, made an important pilgrimage to Arabia around 1324 AD.
He traveled with 12000 servants who each carried a gold bar.
The bars were given to people the king met along his journey.
Mansa Musa I met a Spanish architect in Arabia and brought him back to Mali.
The architect built a university in Mali at Timbuktu.
This city became a center of trade and learning for those throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa.
No other kings were as powerful as Mansa Musa I.
Within 100 years of his death, Mali lost its land to foreign enemies.
Mali is also a present day country in Africa.
It is located in the same land as the first kingdom.
Songhai was a powerful kingdom in West Africa that developed after the fall of Mali.
It conquered other lands and soon became the largest trading kingdom.
Sultan Sunni Ali ruled Songhai.
He set up a capital in the city of Gao.
Sultan Sunni Ali equipped his army with armor, camels, and horses.
He also developed a large navy.
After Sultan Sunni Ali�s death, Askia Muhammed became ruler.
He extended the empire and promoted culture to his nation and foreign nations.
Teachers, doctors, students, and religious leaders from Asia and Europe were welcomed to Songhai.
Songhai divided its land into provinces.
Each province was ruled by a governor.
The same weights and measures were used throughout the kingdom.
The legal system was also uniform throughout Songhai.
Songhai only lasted 100 years.
A Moroccan army seized Songhai gold mines in 1591 AD.
The Songhai army could not defend its land.
Songhai soldiers were armed with swords and spears.
The Moroccan army had guns.
About 100 AD a land in western Africa, today known as Nigeria, experienced a population explosion.
The land could no longer support the people so a group known as the Shona migrated and settled in Zimbabwe about 700 AD.
Zimbabwe developed into a trading kingdom in eastern Africa.
People in Zimbabwe spoke the language Bantu.
They built towns out of stone.
The capital contained houses, a fort, and a temple.
The chief inhabited one of the houses in the capital.
The chief was a god-king.
He was imitated by government officials.
People approached him by crawling on their bellies.
The chief kept his throne as long as he was healthy.
When the chief grew old or sick, he was expected to take poison.
Once the chief died a younger man would take his place.
This policy helped to keep Zimbabwe strong.
Zimbabwe traded goods from their inland areas to the coast.
Merchants on the coast then traded with Arabia, Persia, India, and China.
Gold and ivory were important products.
Zimbabwe continues to survive today as a country in Africa.
Kilwa was another important trading kingdom in Africa.
Merchants from Kilwa sailed the Red Sea and Indian Ocean to trade with other kingdoms.
Kilwa collected taxes from traders of other countries.
These taxes added to Kilwa�s wealth.
The people of Kilwa dressed in the finest clothing and decorated their homes with art from India and China.
They used their money to gain power over neighboring kingdoms.
A culture known as Swahili developed in Kilwa and other kingdoms of East Africa.
Swahili is a mixture of Arabic and African cultures.
The Swahili language is a combination of Bantu and Arabic languages.