Y

1.5 State Building in Africa (1200-1450)

Sub-Saharan Africa

  • Region below the Saharan Desert.

Swahili Civilization

  • Emergence: Africa's East Coast, around the 8th century.
  • Structure: Collection of independent city-states.
  • Rise to Prominence: Strategic location on the coast, facilitating access to the Indian Ocean trade.
  • Trade Goods:
    • Exports: gold, ivory, timber, enslaved people (to a limited degree).
    • Imports: Relied on goods from the African interior (farmers and pastoralists).
  • Islam's Influence:
    • Dominant belief system due to thriving trade.
    • Muslim merchants were prominent in the Indian Ocean.
    • Voluntary conversion among the Swahili elite.
    • Connected Swahili civilization to the broader economic world of Dar al-Islam.
  • Swahili Language:
    • Hybrid: Bantu family of languages (indigenous) + Arabic.
  • Political Structure:
    • Each city ruled by its own king.
    • Intense competition between city-states.

Comparison: Swahili States vs. Song China

  • Similarities:
    • Expanded wealth via trade beyond borders.
    • Hierarchical class structure.
      • China: Confucian ideals.
      • Swahili states: Elevated merchant elite.
  • Differences:
    • China: Centralized political structure with an emperor.
    • Swahili states: Lacked a unified political structure.

Great Zimbabwe

  • Location: Further inland in Southern Africa.
  • Economic Foundation: Participation in Indian Ocean trade via controlling coastal ports.
  • Exports: Primarily gold, also farming and cattle herding formed economic base.
  • Capital City:
    • Massive construction using wealth.
    • Largest structures in Africa after the Egyptian pyramids.
    • Housed royal court; seat of power.

West Africa

  • State Structures: Mixture of different state structures.
  • Large Centralized Empires: Ghana, Mali, and Songhai (to be discussed in Unit 2).
  • Hausa Kingdoms
    • Location: Scattered throughout the region.
    • Structure: Collection of city-states, politically independent.
    • Power Source: Trans-Saharan trade network.

Comparison: Hausa Kingdoms vs. Swahili Civilization

  • Similarities:
    • Urbanized and commercialized city-states.
    • Acted as middlemen for goods from the interior.
    • Integrated into trade patterns with other states in West and North Africa.
    • Ruled by kings with social hierarchies.
    • Conversion of rulers to Islam facilitated trade with Muslim merchants.

General Trend

  • Adoption of Islam by influential African states to organize societies and facilitate trade within Dar al-Islam.

Ethiopia

  • Exception to the Trend: Christian kingdom.
  • Rule: Christian rulers commissioned construction of massive stone churches, to communicate power.
  • Wealth: Grew through trade in the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean network, especially in salt.
  • Structure: Centralized power with a king and stratified class hierarchy.