East African City States

(11) Migration and settlements of considerable size gradually developed on the East African coast at certain time. And by a certain century, the tempo of migrations and trade had increased significantly to eventually give rise to the establishment of more towns.

● The century in which this occurred

10^th century C.E.

(12) The development of social stratification in the larger settlements in the East African coastal region eventually gave rise to emergence of four levels of societies ranging from the lowest to the highest groups of people.

● The four levels of societies

Lowest: Dependent laborers

Middle: Artisans/traders

Upper: Landowning elites

Highest: Royal Family

(13) In the process of migration and interaction, East African peoples eventually adopted some aspects of the alien cultures in addition to their traditions, which eventually led to the development of distinctive cultural traditions and language along the coastal strip of the region.

● Examples of the distinctive cultural traditions that developed:

● The language:

Swahili Architecture, dhow sailing

Kiswahili

Mogadishu

(14) Mogadishu (now in Somalia) was one of the East African city-states that witnessed its period of economic opulence between two centuries.

● The two centuries between which the Mogadishu city-state developed

 

Between 12^th and 15^th centuries C.E.

 

Mombasa

(15) In the twelfth century C.E., Mombasa ascended to a position of economic prominence partly because of its production, and partly because of its activities.

● The kind of production:

● The type of activities which helped them to ascend to such position:

Iron Goods

Ocean trade

Kilwa

(16) In the beginning of a certain century, Kilwa became one of the well-constructed city-states, and the most affluent of all the city-states, because of its strong and effective economic monopolization.

● The century in which it became the most affluent:

● The kind of economic system that it monopolized:

14th century C.E.

Gold trade

(17) There were primary products that were exchanged in East African coastal trade.

● Examples of these products.

- Ivory, Gold, Tortoiseshell

(18) Four categories of economic exchange, between East African coastal traders and Asian traders, developed at the early stages of economic growth.

● Examples of these categories of exchange

-African goods sought for export

-The goods imported for trade with the interior

-The goods produced in those towns for trade with the interior

(19) The East African trade finally reached the highest thriving point at certain time.

● The century in which this occurred:

● The term used to describe the period that emerged in the Swahili culture:

-15th century C.E.

- Golden age of the Swahili culture

(20) By the end of a certain century, many of the East African coastal city-states had completely lost control over the entire trade system.

● Those who finally disrupted the flow of the commerce:

● The century that this occurred:

the portuguese

End of the 15th century