Medieval Africa:trading empires

By Shunmel, Tolga, Sophie, David

Kingdoms of the Rain Forest

• Ghana, Mali, and Songhai ruled the savannas, couldn’t expand to southern coast because of dense rain forests.

• Rainforest kingdoms:– Benin of the Niger delta – Kongo of the Congo River Basin

Benin: an African Kingdom

– King Ewuare founded Benin in about 1440.

– Captured 201 towns that were forced to pay tribute.

– Major power in West Africa.

Farmers in the Rain Forest Kingdoms

• They enjoyed advantages of farmable soil and the warm, wet climate.

• Farmers had surplus of bananas, yams, or rice.

• Surplus helped support the rulers and artisans.

Benin and Kongo Artisans

• Benin artists were really good at carving metal, wood, and ivory.

• Kongo weavers wove fabrics from bark and plant fibers.

Ivory Salt Cellar

Trading• Rain forest kingdoms bordering the savannas

traded their surplus food and crafts for copper, salt, and leather goods.

• Later Europeans (on ships) came to the Atlantic coast, and traded items and prisoners of war as slaves.

• Many salt deposits in western Africa. Salt trade was important for the African people. In ancient times, salt was traded like gold.

East Africa

• Ethiopia’s history started around 1005 B.C. • Glory of Kings: Ethiopia’s oldest written

history.• Queen Makeda ruled the empire, which was

called Saba/Sheba.• Makeda met king Solomon, king of the

Israelites, and introduced their religion to East Africa.

Axum

• Ethiopian city-state near the Red Sea• Ethiopia: known as Abyssinia in

ancient times.• Axum’s importance was because of

it’s location on the Red Sea.• Goods were coming through the Red

Sea from Africa which served as a prime trading center.

King Ezana of Axum

• King Ezana fought with Kush to gain control of the trade routes to inland Africa.

• About A.D. 300, Ezana’s armies defeated Kush.• In A.D. 334, Ezana made Christianity the

official religion of Axum.• A few hundred years later, the Islam religion

brought many changes to the region.

Coastal City States

• Arab traders invented triangular sail called dhows.

• In AD 700, Arab Muslim traders settled in East African states. Africans and Arab Muslims shared goods and ideas.

• By 1300’s, important trading posts extended down the East African coast such as:

Mogadishu, Kilwa, Mombasa, Zanzibar

Kingdom of Zimbabwe

• A large empire located in southeastern Africa.• Founded around A.D. 700.• Great trading center: Zimbabwe supplied gold,

copper, ivory to East African coast.• Zimbabwe Kings, Mutota and Matope, built

the region’s biggest empire.• The Great Zimbabwe: capitol of the kingdom.