Studied by 21 people
By 1000, large kingdoms grew in prominence along side the kin-based chiefdoms pre-established in Africa. As Islam rapidly connected Afro-Eurasia, many communities retained their local customs even after adopting the faith.
Political & Social Structures of Inland Africa
-Decentralized, kin-based communities led by a male chief who mediated internal & external conflicts
Jobs organized by family, age, & gender (women=domestic, men=skilled)
Districts, or consolidation of multiple villages, led by group of chiefs
No private land
-1000: Majority adopted agriculture & needed a stronger gov. to distribute labor & yields & control competition & pop growth
Political Structures of West & East Africa
-Benefit from Trans-Saharan trade = wealth, political power, & religious diversity (Animism, Christianity, then Islam), forming large civilizations
Hausa Kingdoms
-Before 1000 Hausa ethnic group est. 7 states in Nigeria
Benefitted from Trans-Saharan trade
Western region specialized in military & protected the states
-Decline: 1300 domination of Islamic & other powers b/c lack of centralization
Ghana
-400 B/w Sahara & West African coast (not modern Ghana)
Centralized gov: Based in capital Koumbi Saleh, king was aided by nobles & army equipped w/ iron weapons
Peaked 700-1000: traded gold & ivory for Muslim traders’ salt, copper, cloth, & tools
-1100: Wars w/ neighboring states ended Ghanaian state
Mali
-Replaced Ghana as most powerful Trans-Saharan trade society under Sundiata
Sundiata: believed to have been a Muslim who est. North African & Arab trading relationships thru connections to other followers
Thriving gold trade
Zimbabwe
-1100-1400 Contrasted to the traditional wooden houses, 800s chiefs constructed stone houses called “zimbabwes” (Bantu word for dwellings) b/w the Zambezi & Limpopo rivers
Prospered thru agriculture, grazing, trade & gold
Indian Ocean: taxes on the transport of gold to coastal cities like Mombasa, Kilwa, & Mogadishu
Swahili: Bantu & Arabic fusion
Great Zimbabwe: Capital surrounded by stone wall, the first to be built w/o a mortar in Africa, declined b/c overgrazing
-Decline: unclear
Axum Kingdom
-Northern Ethiopian highlands prospered by inland & Indian Ocean/Mediterranean trade at port Adulis, which sent Nubian Kingdom in decline in 360 by replacing it as Egypt’s main link to southern lands
Ethiopian Christianity: Religiously diverse, but adopted from origin independently & mixed w/ local traditions
Decline: replaced by Christian Kingdom in 1100, ordering the construction of 11 massive rock churches
Slavery
-In Southwest Asia & SSA, prisoners of war, debtors, & criminals were often subject to agricultural (~men) or domestic (~women) slavery
More slaves = higher social status
Indian Ocean Slave Trade: High demand in Middle East = bought Zanj (East African slaves) to work on Mesopotamian sugar plantations
Zanj Rebellion: 869-883 15,000 zanj & Arab workers successfully overthrew Basra & controlled for 10 yrs, ~most successful slave revolts
Chattel Slavery
-People were the legal property of the owner
Common in the 1500-1800 Americas
Permanent & inherited status
No legal rights
Domestic Slavery
-People served as cooks, cleaners, or other household workers
Common in Classical Greece & Rome, & in Middle East
Often permanent & inherited status
Some laws: prevented selling ppl
Debt Bondage
People became enslaved, sometimes thru mutual agreement, to repay debt
Common in pre-1400 East Africa & American colonies
Often permanent in practice & inherited debt
Some laws: limit severity of punishment
Culture in Sub-Saharan Africa
-Bantu-speaking ppl migrated from West-Central Africa heavily shaped SSA cultures thru language, & farming/iron knowledge
-Griots & Griottes: Literature was oral, so storytellers often sung knowledge of family lineages & the lives of great leaders w/ drums or koras (12-string harp) at special occasions
Kings sought their counsel regarding politics
-Ancestor Veneration: Lyrics meant communication to spirit world, often interspersed w/ percussive elements
Metalwork: Current rulers looked to guidance to busts of past rulers
