Early Civilizations in Africa

World History Chapter 8

Coptic

Form of Christianity, originally Egyptian, that has thrived in Ethiopia since the fourth century CE

Berbers

Ethnic group indigenous to western North Africa

Nok Culture

In northern Nigeria, one of the most active early ironworking societies in Africa, artifacts from which date back as far as 500 BCE

Swahili

Mixed African-Arabian culture that developed by the 12th century along the east coast of Africa; also, the national language of Kenya and Tanzania

• Language (which is the main language of Kenya today) that is made from a combination of Bantu and Arabic, which came forth through trade

Pantheism

Doctrine that equates God with the universe and all that is in it

Lineage Group

Descendants of a common ancestor; relatives, often as opposed to immediate family

Mansa

In the West African state of Mali, a chieftain who served as both religious and administrative leader and was responsible for forwarding tax revenues from the village to higher levels of gov’t

Noncentralized Societies

Societies characterized by autonomous villages organized by clans and ruled by a local chieftain or clan head; typical of the southern half of the African continent before the 11th century CE

Matrilinear

Passing through the female line, for example, from a father to his sister’s son rather than his own, as practiced in some African societies; not necessarily, or even usually, combined with matriarchy, in which women rule

Patrilinear

Passing through the male line, from father to son; often combined with patriarchy

Bard

In Africa, a professional storyteller

Bantu

Group of people in Mid-Africa who expanded across the region; Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, down to Mozambique 

• Interacted with and established trading centers with Arab peoples from the North

  • Traded ivory, gold, spices, and slaves

  • Swahili

Cape of Good Hope

Near Cape Town in South Africa; rocky landmark that looks like blocky cliffs