The Dark The Dark ContinentContinent

Pangaea

PaleolithicPaleolithic

2,500,000 BCE The world’s earliest stone tools, Ethiopia

2,100,000 BCE    Tanzanian stone tools 700, 000 BCE   Stone tools at Abu Simbel, Nubia 400, 000 BCE   Cave Drawings of antelopes and other animals at  Porc Epic cave near Dire Dawa, Ethiopia 250, 000 250, 000250, 000 BCE   Numerous stone artifacts in 

Nubia and Egypt

Post- PaleolithicPost- Paleolithic

75,000 BCE Shell Jewelry found in Blombos Cave, South Africa  in 200437,000 BCE Mathematical artifacts found in /25,000 BCE Swaziland and Ishango, Congo35,000 BCE Decorated ostrich egg shells found in Namibia26,000 BCE Painted stone slabs, Namibia16,000 BCE Domestication of wild grasses: Ethiopian/ Nubian complex

Neolithic15,000 BCE Domestication of sorghum: Nubia,

present day Sudan, East Africa 9370 BCE   Pottery at Tagalagal and Tamaya

Mellet, Niger, West Africa 8000 BCE  Africa’s oldest boat –

found in Dufuna, Northeast Nigeria

8000 BCE  Domestication of barley and wheat, Ethiopia

7000 BCE  Wavy line pottery across Sahara/Sahelian region

An international team of scientists An international team of scientists has unearthed the skeleton of a has unearthed the skeleton of a human-like meat-eating creature human-like meat-eating creature that lived in Africa 2.5 million years that lived in Africa 2.5 million years ago and may be the earliest known ago and may be the earliest known ancestor of modern man. ancestor of modern man. Researchers say the newly Researchers say the newly discovered hominid species, discovered hominid species, Australopithecus garhi,Australopithecus garhi, marks a marks a turning point in evolution.turning point in evolution.

Birthplace of Birthplace of modern manmodern man

Arabica, the first Arabica, the first coffee, once grew coffee, once grew wild in Ethiopiawild in Ethiopia

The Kingdom of AksumThe Kingdom of AksumThis important This important trading nation in trading nation in northeastern Africa northeastern Africa grew from ca. 5th grew from ca. 5th century B.C.E to century B.C.E to become an important become an important trading nation by the trading nation by the 1st century C.E. It 1st century C.E. It converted to converted to Christianity in 325 or Christianity in 325 or 328.328.

(left) This mask This mask is from the is from the ubango tribe ubango tribe probably made probably made in the 1400s. in the 1400s.

(right) This mask This mask is from the is from the Toma tribe of Toma tribe of GuineaGuinea

Tribal Tribal masksmasks

KhamiKhami

There have been many There have been many civilizations in civilizations in Zimbabwe as is shown Zimbabwe as is shown by the ancient stone by the ancient stone structures at Khami, structures at Khami, Great Zimbabwe and Great Zimbabwe and Dhlo-Dhlo.Dhlo-Dhlo.

Great ZimbabweGreat Zimbabwe This was a city that flourished from around 1200 to This was a city that flourished from around 1200 to ه1450 by a 1450 by a Bantu Bantu people, the people, the Shona.Shona. It was the center of a gold-trading empire, then It was the center of a gold-trading empire, then هabandoned around 1450.abandoned around 1450.

The shaded The shaded area indicates area indicates the the sphere of influence in southeast Africa during the period of Great Zimbabwe, 11thth – 15 – 15thth Century C.E.Century C.E.

Great Great ZimbabweZimbabwe

• The Mutapa Empire replaced Great The Mutapa Empire replaced Great Zimbabwe and was also involved in the Zimbabwe and was also involved in the gold trade (at least at first – once the gold gold trade (at least at first – once the gold was exhuasted, they switched to slaves).was exhuasted, they switched to slaves).

• It didn’t last long, though, and was It didn’t last long, though, and was conquered by the Portuguese in 1629.conquered by the Portuguese in 1629.

Mutapa EmpireMutapa Empire

This diplomatic term This diplomatic term denotes an area in which denotes an area in which a foreign power maintains a foreign power maintains rights superior to those of rights superior to those of a a host nation. This concept host nation. This concept became recognized in became recognized in international law during international law during the “scramble for Africa” the “scramble for Africa” in the 1880s, when the in the 1880s, when the great powers carved up great powers carved up the continent for the continent for commercial exploitation.commercial exploitation.

Sphere of Sphere of influenceinfluence

No less than other European No less than other European powers, Belgium proclaimed its powers, Belgium proclaimed its colonial mission to be that of colonial mission to be that of spreading civilization. But while spreading civilization. But while Britain and France had global Britain and France had global empires, Belgium's attention empires, Belgium's attention was focused on the vast, was focused on the vast, resource-rich Central African resource-rich Central African territory of Congo, 76 times territory of Congo, 76 times larger than Belgium itself.larger than Belgium itself.

The European country ofThe European country of Belgium Belgium controlled the Republic of the controlled the Republic of the Congo (Zaire)Congo (Zaire)

ColonizationColonization

European influence

• The Europeans, primarily the Dutch and English, colonized the area.

• The Zulus suffered for it.

• The Zulus were a warrior tribe in the area who conquered a lot of territory. The Dutch and English started encroaching, however.

• By 1878, the British and the Zulus were at war.

• There were several dramatic battles.

• In the Battle of Isandlwana, 20,000 Zulus surprised a British force of about 1,500 and pasted them.

The next day at Rorke’s Drift, the British waged a defensive battle against the Zulus. 139 British soldiers held out against 5,000 ZulusThey fired their rifles so rapidly, the barrels glowed; rounds popping off in the breach presented an additional hazard.

British soldiers digging trenches in South Africa

The Boer WarThe Boer WarThis war erupted This war erupted between Afrikaaners between Afrikaaners and the British in and the British in South Africa, resulting South Africa, resulting in British imprisonment in British imprisonment of the Afrikaaner of the Afrikaaner women and children in women and children in concentration camps.concentration camps. This conflict at the turn This conflict at the turn of the 20of the 20thth century century foreshadowed modern foreshadowed modern guerrilla warfare guerrilla warfare tactics.tactics.

ApartheidApartheidThe table below shows the The table below shows the wide disparities that once wide disparities that once existed between the white existed between the white South Africa ruling South Africa ruling minority and the minority and the immigrants to that country.immigrants to that country.

White and black segregation at a 1976 soccer match.

Slavery starts

In the early 1400's the Portuguese enslaved In the early 1400's the Portuguese enslaved Africans to cultivate sugar in the Azores. The Africans to cultivate sugar in the Azores. The production of sugar demanded great labor as well production of sugar demanded great labor as well as plenty of acreage, and only by using slaves as plenty of acreage, and only by using slaves could the Portuguese keep the enterprise profitable. could the Portuguese keep the enterprise profitable. And the plantation model the Portuguese developed And the plantation model the Portuguese developed would spread throughout the New World and would spread throughout the New World and remained the dominant economic model of the remained the dominant economic model of the southern United States through the Civil War.southern United States through the Civil War.

African African DiasporaDiasporaDuring the 1700s During the 1700s when the Atlantic when the Atlantic slave trade was slave trade was flourishing, West flourishing, West Africans accounted for Africans accounted for approximately two-approximately two-thirds of the African thirds of the African captives imported into captives imported into the Americas. the Americas.

Slavery in Africa and the brutal form of slavery that Slavery in Africa and the brutal form of slavery that would develop in the Americas were vastly different.would develop in the Americas were vastly different.

The Slave TradeThe Slave Trade

In the Ashanti Kingdom of West Africa, for In the Ashanti Kingdom of West Africa, for example, slaves could marry, own property and example, slaves could marry, own property and even own slaves. And slavery ended after a certain even own slaves. And slavery ended after a certain number of years of servitude. African slavery was number of years of servitude. African slavery was not hereditary, and lacked the racist notion that not hereditary, and lacked the racist notion that whites were masters and blacks were slaves.whites were masters and blacks were slaves.

Slavery

13th century 13th century slave market slave market in the Yemenin the Yemen

Portuguese slaversPortuguese slavers

Triangular slave trade routesTriangular slave trade routes

The Middle PassageThe Middle Passage

African history linksAfrican history links

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart1.html http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/aaslavry.htm#beginning University of Florida Libraries/MAPAFRICA