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Holt African American History Chapter 1
Section 1 Human Origins and Early Civilizations
Section 2 Great Empires of West Africa
Section 3 Kingdoms of East and South Africa
Beginnings in Africa
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Reading Focus
• What do scientists know about humanity’s origins in Africa?
• What were some accomplishments of the ancient Egyptians?
• How was the ancient kingdom of Kush influenced by Egypt?
Main Idea
Africa was home to some of the world’s earliest known humans
and to several advanced civilizations.
Section 1: Human Origins and Early Civilizations
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Building Background
It is not possible to fully understand African American
history without first gaining a basic understanding of its
roots in Africa. Therefore, before we can begin our study
of the contributions African Americans have made to the
United States, we must briefly study the history of the
African continent.
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Human Origins in Africa
• Human history began in Africa
• Hominids appeared in East Africa about 3 million years ago
– Early hominids learned to make stone tools
– Hominids could control fire
• Homo sapiens
– Scientists not exactly sure but think first appeared 200,000 years ago in East Africa
– “Wise man”
– Every person alive today belongs to species Homo sapiens
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Developing societies
• People settled down and formed societies
• Societies developed cultures with languages, religion, and art
• Over time people migrated all over the world
• Advanced civilizations developed in Africa
• All played roles in shaping later cultures and ideas
Humans as hunters and gatherers
• Hunted deer and bison
• Scavenged for plants to eat
• Learned to grow own food; planted crops and raised animals
• Began the domestication of plants and animals
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Interpret
Why can Africa be called the birthplace of human
history?
Reading Check
Answer(s):
The world’s first hominids lived in Africa,
and some of the world’s first civilizations
developed there as well.
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Egypt was one of the greatest civilizations in world history. Its location
was important—the Nile valley was fertile with rich layers of soil.
Ancient Egypt
A Mighty Kingdom
• Strong central government
• Ruling pharaohs considered
gods on Earth; had nearly
unlimited power; tremendous
responsibilities
• Thousands of officials and
priests helped rule; slaves
assisted
Dynasties
• Pharaohs divided by
dynasties, or ruling families
• 28 dynasties in 1,500 years;
Old, Middle, and New
Kingdoms are studied
• To collect taxes, pharaohs
took census; population of
four million largest in Africa
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Tombs
• Pharaohs buried in pyramids
• Gigantic structures;
masterworks of ancient
engineering
Hieroglyphics
• Writing that covered tomb walls
• Intricate pictures and symbols
• Represented objects and ideas
• One of first writing systems;
shaped writing of later cultures
Elaborate temples
• Later pharaohs buried in
temples
• Used stone columns as support
• Innovation copied by other
civilizations
Greek scholar Herodotus
• Traveled to Egypt in 450 BC;
wrote about his journey
• Amazed by achievements he
saw; calendars, record-keeping,
and mathematics
Egyptian Achievements
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Daily Life
Average Egyptians
• Majority were farmers
• Grew crops to survive
• Forced to work on building
projects during flood season
• Farmers and families moved
to settlements near work
projects
• Fed and housed in
settlements
Career Paths
• Learning to write important;
meant career advancement
• Skilled writers could become
scribes
• Egypt’s bureaucratic network
helped run government;
opportunities limited to men
• Egyptian women could sign
contracts and own property
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Identify
What were the major achievements of the ancient
Egyptians?
Reading Check
Answer(s):
Building of pyramids and temples,
invention of columns, hieroglyphics,
calendar, record keeping, math
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Nubia
• Located south of Egypt along the Nile; name meant “land of the blacks”
• Home to another advanced civilization called Kush
• Egypt and Kush had complicated relationship
750 BC
• After centuries of Egyptian rule, Kushites took advantage of decline in power
• Kush invaded and took over Egypt; made Kush ruler new pharaoh
• Kush ruled Egypt for several centuries
Egypt and Kush
• Traded goods with Egypt; obtained from Africans farther south
• 1500s BC—Egyptian troops conquered Nubia and much of Kush
• Introduced elements of culture such as clothing styles and pyramid building
Ancient Kush
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Kushite Achievements
• Kushite civilization centered on capital city of Meroë
– Located just north of present-day Khartoum, in the Sudan
– Great trading center; traders went north through Meroë; east to Red Sea
and China and Japan; west to central Africa
– Iron working most famous industry; iron traded for luxury goods
• Achievements
– Developed own form of writing; still undeciphered today
– Built huge brick buildings, small pyramids, and temples; made pottery
• Attacks from outsiders – Roman army attack in 23 BC failed; desert people began attacks
– Meroë destroyed in AD 350 by Aksum
– Kushite civilization dominated middle Nile region for 2,000 years
– Created own Egyptian-Nubian culture that influenced generations
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Describe
How did the relationship between Egypt and Kush
change over time?
Reading Check
Answer(s):
At first, the two kingdoms traded with
each other. Then Egypt conquered and
ruled Kush. Centuries later, Kush
conquered Egypt.
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Reading Focus
• How did old trade contribute to the growth of Ghana?
• What were the significant achievements of Mali?
• How did Songhai become a powerful empire?
• Why do modern historians study traditional African culture?
Main Idea
Three powerful empires that grew rich from trade were
established in West Africa.
Section 2: Great Empires of West Africa
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Building Background
After Egypt and Kush, the next African civilizations that
came to the attention of other parts of the world were
the fabulously wealthy kingdoms of West Africa.
Separated from Egypt by the vast Sahara, practically an
ocean of sand and wasteland, these kingdoms grew in
total isolation from the civilizations of northern Africa.
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Merchants crossed the Sahara in search of valuable products. Sub-
Saharan West Africa grew wealthy from trade in slaves and gold.
Ghana
Trade
• Ancient Ghana trading center
• Camel caravans from north
brought commodities—copper,
horses, luxury goods, and salt
• Traded for gold, ivory, slaves
• Taxes supported powerful army
• Location of gold mines secret;
from 700 to 1000 Ghana at
height of power
Wealth and Splendor
• Ghana so wealthy it was known
as “kingdom of gold”
• Writers told of rulers surrounded
in luxury; worshiped as gods
• Wealth and fame attracted
invaders; constant attacks
scared merchants off
• Loss of trade weakened empire;
Ghana collapsed
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Identify
How did Ghana’s rulers grow rich and powerful?
Reading Check
Answer(s):
By controlling the trade in several
valuable goods and using their money to
build an army
Holt African American History Chapter 1
New Empire
• Small kingdom within Ghana rose to take Ghana’s place
• Took control of caravan routes across Sahara
• Wealth and power followed; became leading power in West Africa
Achievements
• Emphasis on education; built great universities for religion and law
• Books in Arabic appeared on trade routes; scholars came to study in Mali
• Spread Islam; built mosques; converted thousands to Islam
Mansa Musa
• Reigned from 1307 to 1337; known for peace and security
• Devout Muslim; took famous pilgrimage to holy city of Mecca
• Travel took a year; lavished gifts along the way
Mali
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Describe
What were the main achievements of the rulers of
Mali?
Reading Check
Answer(s):
Built a huge empire, grew wealthy from
trade, supported education, spread Islam
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Songhai
• Developed from Mali empire; won back independence
• Growth
– 1464, King Sunni Ali Ber in power; brilliant strategist
– Equipped army with horses; built canoe navy to patrol Niger River
– Skilled politician; maintained rural and town alliances
– Three main cities—Gao, Timbuktu, and Djenné
– Excelled in philosophy, law, and medicine
• Decline
– Conquered states reasserted independence; weakened Songhai
defeated by army of Spaniards and Moroccans
– Europeans brought shift in trade routes to Atlantic coast
– Portuguese explorers built forts and trading centers
– City of Benin grew wealthy from trade; created art not empire
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Identify Cause and Effect
What led to the decline of Songhai?
Reading Check
Answer(s):
Uprisings within the empire followed by a
shift in trade routes and the arrival of
Europeans
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Traditional West African Culture
No written languages
• Great wealthy empires; little
known of daily life
• Some information of ruling
classes; knowledge comes
from writings of visitors
• Advanced civilizations of
West Africa lacked written
languages
• First-person accounts
important
Two means to learn
• Oral histories critical;
spoken record from
generation to generation;
accounts of great deeds and
customs of ancestors
• Anthropologists also study
traditions still practiced in
region
• People study village and
family life, religion, and the
arts
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Religion
• Central feature of village life; ancestors spirits stayed nearby after
death; carved statues marked sacred places
• Practiced animism—belief that natural objects have spirits
Village and Family Life
• Extended family typical; father, mother, children, and close relatives
• In West African society each person loyal to family
• Age-sets formed special bonds; worked at specific tasks together
The Arts
• Detailed carvings from wood and bronze; created fantastic masks
• Music and dance part of rituals and ceremonies; griots kept history
alive through storytelling, acted as advisors to kings
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Summarize
Why do modern historians study traditional ways of
life in West Africa?
Reading Check
Answer(s):
Because there are no written records of
life in ancient West Africa, traditional
customs provide some of the few clues to
life in the past.
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Reading Focus
• How did Arabs influence the culture and trade of East Africa?
• How were the kingdoms of central and southern Africa
organized?
Main Idea
Powerful trading societies emerged in East, Central, and South
Africa.
Section 3: Kingdoms of East and South Africa
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Building Background
Just as the West African kingdoms became rich
through trade, so too did other civilizations to the east
and south. Along the eastern and southern coasts of
Africa, other advanced cultures grew up that based
their success on trade. These cultures left behind a
legacy that is still felt in the region today.
Holt African American History Chapter 1
East Africa
Geography
• Birthplace of first hominids
• Stunning land; savannahs,
valleys, and mountains
• Wild animals included lions,
elephants, and rhinos
• Indian Ocean to east led to
Middle East and India
• Persian sailors came in 900s
• Beginning of long-term trade
with others
Trade with Other Lands
• Dealt with people from other
continents
• Middle Eastern and Asian
traders came for ivory and
exotic animals
• Main trade was in slaves
• Introduced new foods like
bananas, yams, and
coconuts; these foods
became diet staples
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Arab traders
• Came between 1000 and 1300; married local women; set up trade centers
• Became intermediaries with African interior societies
• Serviced ships that sailed Indian Ocean
• Exchanged Arab axes, glass, and wheat for African ivory, tortoise shells,
cinnamon, rhinoceros horns, and palm oil
Chinese connection
• Chinese porcelain heavily traded
• Remnants from seventh-century Tang dynasty to thirteenth century Song
dynasty
• Evidence shows in 900s Chinese depended on East African ivory for
ceremonial objects
Trade Influences
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Rise of Powerful Kingdoms
• By 100 ships from Middle East and Asia traveled along the coastline as far as Tanzania
• Powerful states had developed – Greek Egyptian published small handbook describing Azania and
city of Rhapta
– Men had great stature; each place within region had own ruler
• Zanj – Later in 900 Arab al-Masudi wrote of Zanj’s leopard skins used to
make saddles and clothing
– King of Zanj—Waklimi, supreme lord known for fairness and integrity
– If ceased to rule justly, would be killed
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Swahili coast
• Swahili Arabic word for coasts
• Bantu-speaking farmers and
fishermen also traded
• Blended cultures of African and
Arab life
New ideas
• Before land owned by whole
community; everyone profited
• Arabs brought ideas of
individual land ownership
• Islam gained influence; spread
Language
• Arabic words introduced
• Swahili speakers adopted
thousands of Arabic words
• Copied Arabic alphabet as
means of writing own language
Customs changed
• Dress changed; imported cloth
worn as modest clothing
• No central empire; civilization
spread for 1,000 miles
• City of Kilwa highly praised
Swahili Culture
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Draw Conclusions
Why was trade so central to East African cultures?
Reading Check
Answer(s):
Because the region lay on the coast and
trade with distant lands was relatively
easy
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Kingdoms of Central and Southern Africa
• Rise of mighty kingdoms in central and southern Africa
– Cultures had less contact with outside influences
– Meant no writing systems; no travel narratives to give details of life
• The Kongo Kingdom
– Farmers on Congo River since AD 800; by 1400 small states emerged
– By 1500 king ruled over area with excellent government structure
– Provincial governors, judges, and administrators dealt with local disputes,
tax and trade matters
– By 1480s Kongo traded heavily with Portuguese
• Bantu Migrations
– With growing populations, people of different ethnic groups moved south
– Spoke related Bantu languages
– These people often called Bantu and movement south known as Bantu
Migrations
Holt African American History Chapter 1
Great Zimbabwe
Bantu Kingdoms
• One of greatest arose in
1400s; called Zimbabwe
• 10,000–20,000 people;
major trading center
• Zimbabwe—Shona term for
court or house of a chief
• Most zimbabwes consisted
of small clusters of
buildings on hills
Great Enclosure
• Massive wall 32 feet tall
and 17 feet thick;
masterpiece of architecture
and design
• Continent of movement and
change could not hold out
against European
influences; slave trading
ripped Africans from their
homes to distant lands