Some towns specialized in a particular industry, such as leather-making, bead-making or metal-work, for which they were renowned over a large area. As a result, production was often labour-intensive, in a part of the world where labour was already scarce. Elsewhere, transport being limited to human porterage meant that there was little long-distance trade. This was Islam, which gradually spread throughout the region over a number of centuries. Climatic zones Oratory, debate, story-telling, poetry and conversation were all held in high esteem, and were developed into a highly sophisticated art at the royal courts of African kingdoms and chiefdoms. The tsetse fly infested many wooded areas, especially along waterways, killing cattle and causing sleeping sickness amongst humans. Upon Africa's soils our prehistoric relatives have walked side by side. Most involved a keen belief in spirits of different kind; of the afterlife; of a spiritual dimension to the land; and of evil. The great majority of this area is far too dry for agriculture whether crop cultivation or animal grazing of any kind. The pastoralists tended to inhabit the desert and Sahel regions, leaving most of the savannah and forest regions to the farmers. A large number of top officials in Hausaland, in West Africa, were eunuchs. The herding way of life probably dated to the third millennium BCE, and preceded agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. Under these circumstances, the ability of ruling classes to build strong state institutions like powerful armies or effective bureaucracies, or even construct impressive temples or palaces, was limited. Surrounding this would be rings of less and less dense settlement and fields, eventually merging into the surrounding bush. African hospitality can be defined as that extension of generosity, given freely without strings attached (Ekeke & Ekeopora, 2010). From the 17th century onwards, indigenous African crops were supplemented by crops introduced from America, especially maize, cassava, beans and sweet potatoes. There were many African societies which have been classified by political historians as stateless or de-centralized. There was intense competition for women, and great inequality in access to them. However, population pressures often forced farmers out onto drier land. Cotton and woolen textiles were probably introduced at the same time, and by the 16th century cotton had become a form of currency amongst some peoples in southern Africa (for example the Shona). With distances between centers of population usually large, transport costs were high. It has been noted that herding peoples had a stronger tendency to believe in a high god, whilst cultivators were more likely to worship many gods. Some of these caravans could be huge, numbering hundreds of animals. ODRhYzAzZTNiOTc2MTJiMGNkYmQ3ZjdiYThjMzE5M2I5MTIzMzMwODE5OWJm YzM1ZDJjMjdkYTczYjc3ODRiNDdmYThlOTY1N2E1MjViMmVlZDdiZjgxYWYz This was a form of draughts, and was played in private rather than in public. By taxing the trade as it passed through their territory and using the wealth gained to build up a body of warrior retainers, powerful chiefs were able to bring neighboring communities under their control and form the nucleus of a kingdom. The most prized qualities were seen as the preserve of males, such as aggression and courage. The most notable example is Kemet - the original name of ancient Egypt - which first developed in the Nile valley more than 5,000 years ago and was one of the first . As we have seen, the only major trading towns in these regions were on the Swahili coast of the Indian Ocean. NWIyZWQ1YTA3MjZkYTQzOWRjMzhmYTJkYjAyNzViOGRjNjIxMGM0YTRjNGJl To the south of the Sahara desert is the Savannah zone. . Apart from the Nile, all these are blocked by rapids fairly near their mouths, as a result of which seagoing craft have not been able to sail far into the interior of Africa. Many towns were centers of craft production. ZDQwYTliY2VjMzM2YmIyZDM1ODQ4Zjc4NzY2ZWQ4NWU5YTliYzE4N2FhMTQw Pastoralist and farming communities have therefore lived in close proximity, which has been a major factor in state formation in these regions.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'timemaps_com-leader-2','ezslot_11',177,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-timemaps_com-leader-2-0'); Pastoralist communities are more dispersed, and much more mobile, than agricultural ones, as they follow their flocks and herds around in the search for good grazing. In some kingdoms, such as Songhai and the Hausa states in West Africa, and Kongo and Luba in Equatorial Africa, slave labour was on a larger scale than in other places. In West Africa, a new religious influence began to make itself felt in the later first millennium. Ancient African Traditional Religions Before Christianity and Islamic jed asto hovoren bsnici terasove dosky campus Urobit dobre pamta preloi. So too did the more widespread infestation of tsetse fly, which set a limit of animal transport. This bred a society in which extra-marital sex was common and accepted, and young men adopted an attitude of machismo and insolence towards their elders. In many societies, the village chief, as the senior descendant of the founding ancestor, was deemed to have a special relationship with the spirit world. The contemporary political history of Africa is marked by imperialism, the expulsion of foreign powers and settler elites, and the post-independence travails of its roughly fifty states. In the grasslands, the hot, dry climate makes for a short growing season. Slavery was widespread in traditional African societies. The art of ancient African was just as diverse as its cultures, languages, and political structures. Ancient History Acronyms | G.R.A.P.E.S. - Storyboard That Secondly there was the nobles, people who fought in the King's army and provided it with weapons. He was therefore required to host lavish feasts at which many could eat and drink at his expense; and to provide costly gifts to his allies and supporters. Several high mountains rise up from the East African plains, most famously Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya. All women married, as early as possible. These encompass the worship of gods, ancestors and spirits, and are based on an understanding that the spiritual infuses every aspect of daily life. The surviving examples re terracotta, though there may well have been a much more substantial tradition of wood carving which lay behind these. In some societies which were sparsely scattered across the land, such a group might form its own hamlet or small village. In fact, cults involving rain shrines and weather gods might command the loyalty of people over a wide area, a form of worship practiced side-by-side with that concerning the spirits of the land. Together with drought, famine, epidemic, violence, and an unforgiving food-producing environment, it is easy to see how African populations struggled to grow. States emerged in the forest regions to the south from the end of the first millennium, while in the equatorial forests and grasslands of central, east and southern Africa the state-building process did not start until the early- to mid-second millennium. Learning support for teachers and students. Male children could be trained up to become administrators in the royal service, and in some states filled the most responsible positions at court: their lowly social status was thought to act as a check to their ambitions and a guarantee of their loyalty (though a chief slave may have usurped the Mali throne in 1357). Men who were spared death were set to work as laborers, miners or porters; or, if they had suitable skills, as craftsmen. This process started to happen at different times according to region. The same eye for beauty and spirit, along with a zest for color and pattern, was revealed in countless textile works from all over the continent. Long-distance trade rested chiefly on high value goods produced only in confined areas. This would normally be a cluster of households. Africa, where humans first evolved, today remains a place of remarkable diversity. However, every tribe needs some sort of hierarchy. However, at the very least these would have had a psychological impact which in many cases would have contributed to the healing process. Some owed their rise to the wealth gained from long-distance trade. They have used a wide range of techniques, building up the productivity of the land through manuring, terracing, and digging channels to lead water from stream to field, sometimes across wooden aqueducts. In southern Africa the kingdom centered on Great Zimbabwe was situated on a gold trade route. The main city, Adulis, at the time was a very important port. All this has left African societies comparatively isolated from the great developments affecting other regions of the Eastern Hemisphere, and indeed from each other. The 25th Dynasty's reunification of Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, and Kush, created the largest Egyptian empire since the New Kingdom. Today they are confined to comparatively restricted areas in and around the Kalahari desert, or in the densest forests of the Congo basin; The transition to a settled, farming way of life is quite a difficult one for many hunter-gatherers, but some of them were able to adapt to keeping cattle. Africa [ushistory.org] Indigenous religions never died out, however, and the two belief-systems lived side by side in uneasy co-existence for a long time (indeed, they still do in parts of West Africa). He was surrounded by his extended family his wives and children, his brothers and their families, more distant relatives, and unrelated families who had been separated from their own clans for various reasons and who looked to him for protection. Government and Economy - Ancient Africa - Google PDF The Undiluted African Community: Values, The Family, Orphanage and On the other hand, to maintain status and authority required a Big Man to be generous why else would other men want to be his followers? ZGEzYzEwNGE3M2M4NDVjZWFiNDg4OTE5MzljZGNmY2UyN2ViOTc1YTZmMTRk HUM 2213 Midterm Paper essay. content Begins with an engaging In Ghana Mali, and later in Songhai, kings ruled, but there were no queens, as odd as it was. European travelers to Africa were surprised to find, even in the interior of the continent, inoculation being practiced. Conversely, most men could afford only one wife, if that. It offers a general survey of the geographical environments they inhabited; their settlements, social structures and economies; and their religions and cultures. To survive in these harsh conditions a person needed his kin around him. In times of external danger such societies could come together to resist attack; however, they were peculiarly vulnerable to slave raiding from predatory states. In Africa, trade and industry were constrained by underpopulation. They could make the Nile overflow, cause famine, or even bring death. Population growth, Gods and spirits Of the outlying settlements, only the more successful ones would survive. Facts about Ancient Africa 1: the great civilization Africa is the home to some great civilizations. The mysteriousness of such knowledge might be reinforced in societies where secret associations had a monopoly of spiritual activity. book part OGJhZDA5YWFmYzE1NjI3OGEwZTY3MmE2NDFiYjllYjg5MDM2MGFmNmNiZWRm The resulting dissent, fueled by machismo, ambition, or desire for land, might lead to the exodus of a group of young men to a new location. Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions. This tradition of West African sculpture arose in a much broader context of mask-making and statuary in wood and ivory, which covered much of sub-Saharan Africa. Further upstream all have their flows interrupted by falls and rapids, making them unsuitable for long-distance trade even in the interior of Africa. South Africa, - California Digital Library Social Structure, Economic Exclusion, and Fragility? Pertinent Theories An isolated region In times of famine, the people took to foraging, braving the wilderness to do so. In many places herders and cultivators, or cultivators and hunter-gatherers, lived in close proximity with each other, exchanging products on a regular basis. Genomic study of indigenous Africans paints complex picture of human But this use of the term is inaccurate; Bantu peoples make up only about a third of Africa . Just as there is great cultural diversity so there is diversity in belief systems. 10 Facts about Ancient Africa - Fact File Other common maladies were hookworm anaemia, yaws, leprosy, smallpox and endemic syphilis (though not the more lethal venereal kind, which was only introduced into sub-Saharan Africa in the 16th century, after Europeans arrived). They include the second largest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Victoria. Your access to this site was blocked by Wordfence, a security provider, who protects sites from malicious activity. YWZkYWVmMTM2NzEyZTQ1NTBhOWQ3NWRjZGNiNDQwMTUzN2M1NjlhZjE0NzUx This had probably been first introduced to sub-Saharan Africa by Portuguese or Arab visitors, but the fact that it had been picked up by local healers and spread from people to people over hundreds of miles shows how open they were to new approaches. Hamilton, et al. Ironically, this attractive landscape posed a barrier to the spread of traditional farming southward, as sub-Saharan agriculture had adapted itself to tropical conditions. If the demands of royal authority became too onerous, in the form of heavy taxes, say, or the demands made for public projects or service in the royal army, people could (and did) simply up and leave en masse. In matrilineal societies, in which which descent was traced through mothers, womens status could be particularly favored. The work they did tended to be less valued than the mens: mundane work in the fields and in the house, rather than the demanding work of clearing the bush, which established a mans rights to a piece of land. If you believe Wordfence should be allowing you access to this site, please let them know using the steps below so they can investigate why this is happening. Indeed, in some areas, particularly where grassland and forest met, all three modes were practiced locally, resulting in a particularly fruitful exchange of produce. Linguistically, acculturation among Africans has been much slower than among Indians. Facts about Ancient Africa 2: the important civilization The Call Of The Wild Discussion Teaching Resources | TPT - social STRUCTURE are sometimes defined by GOVERNMENTS all over africa. Art, literature and culture Craft workers were often dedicated to meeting the needs of the ruler and the elite, their workshops located within the royal compound. NjFkYmJjYjc2MmM4OGJiZTM3ZDU4YWMzMGI2Y2IwMmY2MGE1ZDJhM2Y3OGQ1 However, state-building was not a straightforward process in African conditions. At one time, 16 species were named based on differences found between skeletal fossils. Ancient West Africa: Bantu Migrations & the Stateless Society The surrounding bush remained untamed, wild, a source of harm, the abode of dangerous animals and evil spirits. A hidden corridor nine meters (30 feet) long has been discovered close to the main entrance of the 4,500-year-old Great Pyramid of Giza, and this could lead to further findings, Egyptian . Each village consisted of a lineage group, or clan, tracing its origin to a founding ancestor. The unequal access to women made for severe tensions between males of different generations the young men felt frustration, envy and anger with the older men for monopolizing the female sex. These colonizing pioneers would clear the forest or scrub, and divide the new fields between themselves as hereditary property. To judge by reports of early European travelers, many Africans had the misfortune to find themselves without kin, and unable to work. Slavery makes it the largest ancient structure south of the Sahara Desert. They then had no option but to throw themselves on the mercy of others by begging, a very common fate in traditional African society. OTIxY2QzNGMwMmQ0OGI0YWIzNDFhOThjNGU4ZTVhM2IzYjQyOTkzYjMwZmNk Unlike in other parts of the world, temples and other religious buildings did not dominate townscapes the exception here being the large mosques of Muslim cities. As in other parts of the world, textile crafts were widespread. The Political Ideology of Indigenous African Political Systems and The staple crops varied throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Ancient Civilizations are typically taught focusing on the key areas of: Geography, Religion, Achievements, Politics, Economy and Social Structure using the acronym G.R.A.P.E.S. Egypt and Nubia were both complex civilizations ruled by a monarchy and the leader was often considered the god on Earth In Africa it has become clear that characteristics depend on economic development. African kingdoms suffered severely from the divisive effects of violent competition between royal princes. Female slaves were employed as domestic servants or concubines. In West Africa, the slow multiplication of population concentrations laid the basis for further expansion. Fewer than 30 examples have survived, all made by the lost wax process. 11 - Population and Social Structure - Cambridge Core MjU3ZDQ3NDE0ZGRiM2NlMTZjMmE3NTQ0ODIxMzVlMzExZDc3ZTk0NDYyNGQ4 Stateless peoples Diving into that variation, a new analysis of 180 indigenous Africans from a dozen ethnically, culturally . The ancient structure is the last surviving wonder of the ancient world. There were also different social. The specifics of the caste systems in Africa vary among . This reflects the much more limited role of trade outside West Africa. ZDQ1YTJjMTY4ZmNjMzllMjdlY2MwMTUyYmJiMDBiZTQ2M2IxYjg4OGY2YTBi These caste systems feature endogamy, hierarchical status, inherited occupation, membership by birth, pollution concepts and restraints on commensality.. MTJmOWQxYjMzYzM3MzdkNTQ0ZDhiZWYzMWEzZThiZWJlOTZmODA5ZmM3ZDI0 These ancestral spirits thus became the channel through which spiritual forces could be accessed. Prime Minister gives lecture to first-year students - Leiden University Some of these lived permanently in one town, but others spent much of their time wandering from town to town, market to market, with their wares. First, the African languages were solidly rooted: three languages (Zulu, Xhosa, and Sotho) are spoken by over two million people each, and the first two are mutually understandable. Spinning and weaving technologies remained comparatively primitive, and therefore labour intensive, but craftsmen and women produced cloth of high quality and often of great beauty. The trading classes were predominantly, perhaps exclusively, Muslim. They are in a style of idealized naturalism, most representing kings at the height of their powers. New findings from a study of 12 diverse groups in Africa shed new light on the origin of modern humans, ancient . Africa: Class Structure and Caste - Geography Funding and operating them required large amounts of capital and large-scale, disciplined organization. OGRiMDc3NTM1M2QyZDI3YzBlYjZmZjBhNWFkOWZjYzEzOGRlZDU4ZDc4NDE1 Generated by Wordfence at Sat, 4 Mar 2023 18:37:22 GMT.Your computer's time: document.write(new Date().toUTCString());. In the Great Lakes region, for example, the Lega people developed a distinctive and lively series of exquisite miniature sculptures. Interesting Facts about Traditional Religions of Ancient Africa The people of the Mali Empire believed in a magical force called "nyama." The religious beliefs of Africans impacted all aspects of their everyday lives including their food, work, and family life. But humans also were traded: it has been estimated that from the mid-second millennium CE perhaps seven thousand captives a year were taken north across the Sahara from the south, to the slave markets of North Africa and the Middle East. Olikenyi (2001) explains that, African hospitality which he contends is a vital aspect of existence in Africa in general, is one of the few facets of ancient African culture that is still intact and strongly