The document provides an overview of the history and geography of Africa, describing early civilizations like Egypt, Kush, and Aksum. It then discusses several powerful West African empires like Ghana, Mali, and Songhai that dominated the region from 700-1500 AD through trade of gold and other goods. The document also notes the diversity of cultures and religions across Africa as well as the impact of the transatlantic slave trade after 1500.

1. chapter 6
pages 167-173

2. Topography:
•Much of Africa is a large
plateau, but its mountains,
deserts, grassy flatlands, and
jungles give it beauty
Geography:
•Africa is the second
largest continent
•Covers nearly 1/5 of the
earth’s land surface
•Nearly 4 times the size
of the US
History:
•The Egyptians established the earliest
recorded civilization in Africa
•Carthage built a thriving civilization in
North Africa
•After the collapse of Rome, Muslims
brought the region under Islamic
domination

3. 1. Earliest kingdom in northeastern Africa was Kush
a. The capital of Kush was Meroë
b. Kush grew in power and by 700 B.C. had overthrown
Egyptian rule and conquered all of Egypt and established its
own dynasty of pharaohs
c. Assyrians drove out the Kushites about 660 B.C., but
the Kushite kingdom continued for almost 1000 years longer
2. Aksum eventually conquered Kush in 330 A.D.
a. Aksum embraced Christianity
b. The kingdom’s conversion to Christianity was the work of
Frumentius who was a Syrian Christian
3. Askum became the center of the modern state of Ethiopia.

4. 1. Knowledge of the civilizations in central and western Africa is a bit vague
because histories were passed down orally instead of being written down
a. Oral tradition, archaeology, and some accounts written by non-Africans
give some picture of these cultures
2. Kingdon of Kanem-Bornu thrived on the shores of Lake Chad
a. It had profit from the camel caravan
trade and it built a strong military force
b. Kanem-Bornu lasted 1,000
years because of the trade and military

5. 3. There were 3 important kingdoms of western Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhai
(each was larger than the previous)
a. All 3 built prosperous societies whose wealth derived from the gold
mines within their empires and the camel trade of gold, silver, and precious
items
b. The Niger River provided a base for these empires because its waters
drew travelers crossing the Sahara
4. Kingdom of Ghana was 1st in prominence-Its peak was from 700-1200 A.D.
a. Muslims attacked in the 11th century and weakened Ghana but were
unable to conquer the region
b. The kingdom of Mali rose in Ghana’s place, dominating from 1200-1500
5. Most famous ruler was Mansa Musa
a. Musa was Muslim and in his pilgrimage to Mecca was great
b. He took, in his traveling group, 60,000+ men and 10,000lbs+ gold
c. Mansa’s capital, Timbuktu became the most important trade center

6. d. People also paid a price for Musa’s leadership-the king was
supposed to be superior to commoners and he was but he often
spoke to his court behind a curtain and no one could watch him
eat
e. This emphasis on perfection meant that if he fell ill or became infirm
with age, he was expected to commit suicide or be smothered
6. In the 15th century, Songhai Empire overthrew Mali Empire
7. An invasion by the Moroccans in 1591 brought an end to Songhai and an
end to the western African empires

7. 1. Each independent city-state had its own trading port
2. The ports continued to flourish as outlets for gold, iron, ivory, and animal
skins to Arabs and Persians
3. Kilwa was a prosperous city-state that received goods from the tribes and
kingdoms in the interior and sold them to Arab sea traders
4. The city-states grew wealthy and cultured because of their seaside
locations
5. City-states shared a common culture-a mixture of Arab, Persian, and African
a. Architecture was Arab and language of city-states was Swahili with
elements of Arabic, Persian, and Indian
6. City-states enjoyed centuries of prosperity but after 1500, they were
crushed by the Europeans

8. 1. The kingdoms provided the goods for the eastern city-states to sell
2. The best known kingdoms are those with which the Europeans came into
contact with after the Middle Ages
3. Kingdom of Benin was important
a. It appeared around 1300 and lasted until the 19th century
b. Benin was more than a trade center-it produced fine statues and
relief sculptures in bronze and had great artistic accomplishments in
metalworking

9. b. Several families could trace their decent back to a common ancestor and
they formed a clan from this knowledge (2 or more clans formed a tribe)
c. The tribe may have been the most important cultural organization
d. Many African kingdoms were dominated by one ethnic group
1. Daily life was focused on smaller social
organizations
2. Family was the most basic
a. Polygamy was common so families
were larger and more complex than
European ones

10. 3. Religious beliefs in Africa were diverse
a. African churches declined into superstition and formalism
b. Islam had a great number of followers
c. The majority of the people kept to traditional tribal religions
d. The tribal religions taught that there was a high god who created the
universe and there were lesser gods and ancestor’s spirits below
e. People offered sacrifices to these gods to fend off illnesses and increase
crop yields (sometimes, even humans were sacrificed
4. Most Africans relied on farming or herding to provide for their families, but
trade was the basis of the kingdoms
5. Slave trade became big because the demand increased much after the
Middle Ages
a. The main point of contact for African-European relations after 1500 was
slave trade
b. This traffic of human lives led to suffering and exploitation for the
Africans

11. 6. Kingdoms displayed a level of complexity and organization that compared well
with the civilizations in Europe and Asia
7. Most Africans remained in spiritual darkness, like the Asians

13. Game: Are you smarter than a 5th grader
•Teams would be dividing the room in half
Crossword Puzzle: homework
Food: pass out while someone’s reading notes-each
person can pass out their own food