Africa's Cultures Before European Contact
From World History Map Activities
© J. Weston Walch.
Teacher Background
Africa is a large continent, three times the area of the United States. The continent has a wide variety of climates. Along the northern coast and at the southern tip, there is a pleasant climate often called Mediterranean. It has hot, dry summers and warm, wet winters much like southern California. Inland from the north edge is the Sahara Desert, a wide band of dry, rocky, or sandy land. The Sahara has restricted travel. To cross it, people needed to follow routes to oases and use camels. South of the Sahara, the grasslands begin. African grasslands are often called the Sudan. These grasslands never have frosts, but they do have wet and dry seasons. Depending on the altitude, the temperature in the grasslands can be cool. The grasslands are the habitat of many large grazing animals, including several species of antelopes. Lions prey on these herds.
Africa has some mountain peaks that have snow on them year-round. The most famous is Mount Kilimanjaro, which is 19,340 feet (5895 meters) high. The geology of the Rift Valley is spectacular. It is a 2000-mile (3218-kilometer)-long gash caused by shifting continents. It runs from East Africa to Asia Minor. This deep, narrow valley is marked by lakes. Its sides expose the layers of the earth's crust. In these exposed sides archaeologists have found the remains of the earliest forms of human life. In Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, Louis and Mary Leakey discovered Zinjanthropus and footprints of homo erectus. The skeleton known as Lucy was found in the Rift Valley in Ethiopia. These finds point to Africa as the first home of humans.
Where the west coast of Africa runs along parallel to the equator and in the Zaire (Congo) River basin is the tropical rain forest. There is also a river rain forest on Madagascar. This is a relatively small fraction of Africa's area, perhaps a fifth. There is rain every day, and each day is hot. The rain forest has a canopy of tall trees and a relatively clear floor. Rain forests have a wide variety of plant species, a population of small animals, and a variety of insects. Due to the heavy rain and heat, rain forest soils are generally not very fertile. Among the insects in the rain forest is the tsetse fly, which carries sleeping sickness. This disease is deadly to horses and cattle. Therefore, travelers in the rain forest had to walk and hire humans to carry any supplies. The mosquito is also deadly in Africa. It carries malaria.
The rivers of Africa are generally not very useful for transportation. They are frequently broken by falls or rapids. The coast of Africa has relatively few good harbors. Only the east coast of Africa developed much of a coastal trade. Monsoon winds blowing in a reliable pattern made a sailing voyage to India and back practical. The Muslim traders moving down the coast of Africa from Arabia established contact with the African people on the coast. As the trade developed, the people of the coast developed a language which combined Bantu grammar and an Arabian vocabulary. This is the Swahili language. The east coast is sometimes called the Swahili coast.
Often the history of more advanced African cultures is based on archaeology supplemented by reports from Muslim travelers and early Europeans. Our written record of the people of Cush (Kush) comes from the Egyptians. The people of Cush were upstream from the Egyptians. For a time Cush conquered the Egyptians and ruled as pharaohs. The people of Cush developed their own hieroglyphics, writing that has yet to be translated.
Aksum, which was located a bit south and east of Cush, was more in touch with the Arabs across the Red Sea.
The Sudan of West Africa was home to some of the most impressive African cultures. The Kingdom of Ghana stood astride a very rich trade route. Traders from the north brought salt south to the forest people, who in turn offered gold. West Africa was rich in gold. It may have provided as much as two-thirds of the world's gold supply before the year 1350. The king of Ghana claimed all the gold nuggets. The gold dust was used by ordinary people.
When Ghana fell, Mali became a power. Mali was a rich kingdom and was influenced by Islam. Mansa Musa, a king of Mali, went on a pilgrimage to Mecca. He traveled with an escort of 500 slaves. He passed through Cairo and spent or gave away so much gold that its value fell. A famous Muslim traveler named Ibn Battuta visited Mali. He hated the food and was scandalized by the freedom and prestige of women in that culture. But Ibn Battuta noticed that the land was peaceful and that there was a great hatred of injustice.
Nearer the coast of West Africa, archaeologists have uncovered striking terra-cotta sculptures of heads. These are the product of the Nok culture, which is thought to be the earliest culture of West Africa. Benin and Ife were major cities of the forest. Benin was still thriving when the Europeans arrived. In 1602, a Dutch visitor described it and compared it favorably to Dutch cities.
Moving to southern Africa south of the Zambezi River, there is a collection of ruins known as Zimbabwe. The largest building has a wall 30 feet high enclosing an oval 300 feet (91 meters) long by 200 feet (60 meters) across. At one time, the people who lived in these buildings mined gold and traded with the people of the east coast. But by the time Europeans reached the site, it was deserted.
From this brief survey, it should be clear that Africans developed some rich and complex cultures. Some of their kingdoms were among the richest on earth. Their artistic and intellectual achievements are comparable to those of Europeans at the same time.
Key
17. Benin
18. Timbuktu
Weight: 20 points
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