■Essential Question:
–What was Africa like before the
introduction of Islam?
■Warm-Up Question:
–Get out your Ibn Battuta reading
for a quick HW check.
What is the geography of Africa?
How might this geography impact Africans?
Geography of Africa
was very
& Africans
were lived
based on
they lived
Geography of Africa
The Sahara is the
world’s largest desert
& acted as a barrier to
separate North Africa
from sub-Saharan Africa
Early Societies of Africa
Early societies of North
Africa were influenced by
Mediterranean cultures such
as the Phoenicians & Romans
By 750, North Africans were part
of the Islamic Empire, converted
to Islam, & shared Arabic culture
Early Societies of Africa
African societies
south of the
Sahara were
isolated &
missed out on
the cultural
diffusion of the
Classical Era
How did early people in Sub-Saharan Africa live?
Characteristics of Sub-Saharan Africa
■ While the societies of sub-Saharan Africa
were diverse, they shared some similarities:
–Most societies lived in farming villages in
family-based clans
–Few societies had
written languages;
Histories were
shared orally by
storytellers (griots)
–Made iron tools
Characteristics of Africa
■Sub-Saharan people
were polytheistic:
–Practiced animism,
a religion in which
spirits exist
in nature &
play a role
in daily life
The Bantu Migration
Over the course of
4,000 years, Bantu
peoples of central
Africa migrated south
in search of farmland
These Bantu migrations
helped spread new farming
& ironworking techniques
What factors shaped the culture of East Africa?
East Africa
■ The societies of East African participated
in the Indian Ocean trade network & were
shaped by cultural diffusion:
–The kingdom of
Aksum trade with
Persia, India,
Arabia, & Rome;
Aksum became a
Christian kingdom
Aksum Church
East Africa
■ Arab merchants
introduced Islam to
East African trade cities
–The mix of African &
Arab cultures led to a
new Swahili language
–Towns had mosques
& were ruled by a
Muslim sultan
–But many people
kept their traditional
religious beliefs
Closure Activity
■ Compare the impact of geography on the
development of Greece, China & Africa
■ How are Greek myths similar to the myths
and folk stories told by Africans?
■ Why would someone say that trade is the
most important factor in the development of
East African and Roman culture?
■ What comparisons could you make between
African animism and Indian Hinduism?
■ How are Swahili and Hellenistic cultures
similar? How are they different?
■Essential Question:
–What was Africa like before the
introduction of Islam?
■Warm-Up Question:
What factors shaped the culture of West Africa?
West Africa
■ West Africa was
were shaped by
the trans-Saharan
trade network:
–West Africans
had large
deposits of gold,
but lacked salt
–The gold-salt
trade connected
North & West
West Africa
■ The gold-salt trade
increased cultural
diffusion with
Muslim merchants:
–Islam was
introduced in
West Africa &
slowed gained
–Many Africans
blended Islam
with animism or
never converted
West Africa
■ The gold-salt trade led
to wealth & empires
in West Africa
–By 800, Ghana
became an empire
by taxing merchants,
building a large
army, & conquering
surrounding people
–Ghana kings served
as religious leaders,
judges, & generals
West Africa
■ Eventually Ghana
was overthrown & the
Mali empire emerged
–Mali’s King Sundiata
took over the Ghana
kingdom & trade
cities in West Africa
–Sundiata created an
efficient gov’t,
promoted farming,
& controlled trade
West Africa
■ The kings who ruled
Mali after Sundiata
converted to Islam
■ The most important
king was Mansa Musa:
–He built a 100,000
man army to keep
control over Mali
–He divided Mali into
provinces ruled by
appointed governors
Mansa MusaMansa
was a Musa
devout Muslim & went on
a hajj to Mecca in 1324
Mansa Musa passed out gold nuggets
to the people he met along the way
This is a European map of Africa. Very little
was known about Africa below the Sahara,
but Mansa Musa is on the map.
Based on his image on the map, what did
Europeans know about Mansa Musa?
West Africa
■ When he returned
from Mecca, Mansa
Musa built mosques
throughout Mali,
including Timbuktu
–This trade city
attracted scholars,
doctors, religious
–It had a university &
became an important
center for learning
Djenne Mosque
West Africa
■ After Mansa Musa,
Mali declined & was
replaced by Songhai
–Kings gained control
of trade cities along
the gold-salt routes
–Songhai grew into
the largest of the
West African empires
–Its fall in 1591 ended
a 1,000 year era of
empires in West Africa
■ African societies
were transformed
by two powerful
–Trade with
of Islam

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