African Studies Exam 1

African’s Geography, Environment & Birthplace of Humanity

Second-largest continent

Sharara

Shahel

Savanna

Rainforest

Sahara

Lies from the mid-section to the northern region of Africa

Sahel

Semi-desert region south of Sahara

Savanna

grassland south of Sahel

Rainforest

Extends east over most of central Africa

Physical Features of Africa:

It’s size, geography diverse, mountains, large deserts, rainforest & coastal plains

The equatorial rainforest lies:

along West Africa to the Congo Basin of Central Africa

Humanity Origins

5 to 10 million years ago in Savanna

Hominids: Ardipithecines, 4.5 million years ago

-Walked upright

-No stone tools

Australopithecus, 3.4 million years ago

Dec indents

Used stone tools

Homo habilis, 2.4 million

Evolved from Australopithecus

-Big brain, Fire, Shelter, Hunting and Gathering Societies

Homo ercctus, 1.6 million years ago

Used Rafts, moved away from Africa

Homo sapiens: Modern Humans

Multi-regional

Out-Of-Africa

Human beings belong to primate family:

Hominids

Hominid

Human-like, large brain, walked upright

Those who remained in Africa developed:

Melanin

Those who moved away from Africa developed:

Paler skin

There is no biological evidence of people who have skin color. Race is

Socially constructed

Ancient Egypt

Earliest Civilization in Africa

hierarchical

Ranking system

Nineteenth- century debate over Egyptian racial Identity

Pseudoscientists thought African Americans were inferior

Afrocentrist vs. Traditionalist

Afrocentrist: Egypt was a black civilization that orginated Western Civilization

Traditionalist: Modern race doesn’t apply. Greeks developed Western Civilization

Gift of the Nile

Flood makes soil Fertile, Transportation and communication

Egypt Unified 3150 B.C.E

Egypt expands beyond Nile >”Pharaoh”(Great House)

Patriarchal, patrilineal, hieroglyphic writing; women had high status

Polytheistic religion

Belief in many gods, Ra and Osiris are the most important

331 BCE: Alexander the great’s Macedonian army invades

Culture decline = Greek ideas and institutions

30BCE romans take over

Egypt Institutions

Trade, a good economic system, agriculture, industrialization, Egyptian empire rise, huge political system

Political System:

One kingdom in 3150 BCE, Lower and Upper Egypt united, centralized system, Dynasties, led by Pharaohs, Strong Military

Ancient Nubia:(Kush, Meroe)

Blacks interact with Egyptians, and Egypt makes Nubia a colony. Took over the mines, imported slaves and resources, and Nubian culture was influenced

Nubia establishes Kush, Independent Capital Kerma

Kush takes control over the upper and lower, added by King Piankhy(Pharaoh)

Axum:

Emerges in 1st BCE. Semitic people Arab settled along blacks, abosrbs kish 4th century, first Christian state in sub-saharan African

Legend of West African Empire

Kush king retreats to West Africa

-Introduce pyramids, gods, ancestor worship

West Africa: Diversity

Savanna and Rainforest

Iron tools and weapons

Forms Base: Sundanese empires, Arab merchants, Islamic religion

Ancient Ghana:

First in western Sudan, Sonike People