Chiefdoms are societies headed by individuals with unusual ritual, political, or entrepreneurial skills. The society is kin-based but more along hierarchical lines than a tribe.

A principality (or princedom) is a monarchical sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess.

A Kingdom is a sovereign state instituting a monarchy, or having a monarch as its head.

Urban areas that controlled surrounding agricultural regions and that were often loosely connected in a broader political structure with other city-states.

Sovereign state, a sovereign political entity in international public law

Empire is a state that extends dominion over populations distinct culturally and ethnically from the culture/ethnicity at the center of power.

chiefdom

principality

kingdom

City state

state

empire

C 18: States and Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa (600-1450 CE)

What do you already know about Sub-Saharan Africa?

Bantu Migrations2000 BCE -1000 CE

400 BCE = 3.5 million1000 CE = 22 million

400 BCE

Characterized by kingdoms, empires, city-states with well defined Social classes (ruling elites, merchant class, peasant class) AND Traditional kin based groups (ie: “stateless societies”)

500 BCE

500 BCE

Early Political and Social organization?(Pre 1000 CE)

“Stateless” societies Governed through family and kin ties Patriarchal/ councils = male heads of family Gender determined work role Chief, Villages formed districts Small scale cultivation (bananas, Millet, yams, sorghum)

Population increased = population pressure onnatural resources/ increased conflict some villages developed military forces kingdoms formed with centralized power led bystrong leaders who overrode the kin systems kin networks did not disappear Chiefdoms of Ife, Benin (West Africa coast) strong until mid 17th C

Problems?

By 11th C = 800distinct languages

Social organization:

Age grades?Griots?Gender roles? Land ownership? Religion?

Benin = “lost wax” process of sculptureWhat does the existence of these bronze plaques indicate about Benin culture c. 1000 CE?

In societies dominated by oral tradition, art replaces written language

600-1450 CE

Contextualization= the historical circumstances surrounding a particular event

Kingdoms and Empiresof Sub-Saharan Africa800 – 1500 CE

Ghana =Center of 4-5th CAfrican Gold Trade(converted to Islam by 10th C)

Offered protectionfor merchants

(from ArabiaBy 7th C) 70-90 daysto cross the Sahara

Impact ofIslam on trade?Nature of Islam inWest Africa?Islam as merchant“social glue”?

Empire of MaliSundiata (r. 1230-1255

CE)Mansa Musa (r. 1312-

1337 CE)

Mansa Musa’s Hajj 1324-1325

• entourage of 60,000• 500 men each carrying a 6 lb gold staff• 80 camels each carrying300 lbs of gold dust• 500 slaves distributed along the way as gifts• gifts of gold led to devaluing ofgold on global market by 25%• market didn’t recover for 25 yrs• brought back Arab scholars, artists and architects = builtlibraries, mosques, schools

1375 Catalan Map

Cowry shells as standardizedcurrency

Kingdom ofKongo: 1000CE

(Congo River)Slaves = war captives,Debtors, suspected witches,Criminals,

SLAVES status symbols (NOT land),Used as agricultural labor to increaseproductivity of their land = wealth(Chattal slavery??)

Internal slave trade = 10,000-20,000 slaves/ year

(With increased demand) =10 million slaves to Islamic world

(750-1500 CE)

(Zanj Revolt 869 CE in Mesopotamia15,000 slaves revolt/ controlled Basra)

Centralized authority royal currency system

Mosque at Djenne, Mali

What were the positive and negativeeffects of Mansa Musa’s Mali Empireon politics, economy, religion?

Songhay EmpireSunni Ali (1464-1492)

African City States: East Coast

Great Zimbabwe: 12th C, 18,000 people

• Swahili “coasters” engage intrade with Arabs• Swahili = language (Arab influence)• 10th C Arab trade increased to East Africa• Swahili city states = great wealth 11-12th C• stone architecture/ Chinese porcelain• Kilwa exported over a ton of gold/yrBy 15th C• Axum: Christian Kingdom (4th C )Merchants, kings convertedChristian influence very strong by 12th C

Lalibela, Ethiopia12-13th centuries13 churches

Christianity arrives by1st century CE

Ethiopian ChristianityDifferent: HOW and WHY?