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Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa. Basics. Main source : oral tradition Sub- Saharan Africa not fully integrated in Eurasian & Mediterranean trade networks , barrier : Sahara desert , also coasts less favourable for harbours

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Sub-Saharan Africa

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  1. Sub-Saharan Africa

  2. Basics • Main source: oral tradition • Sub-SaharanAfrica not fullyintegrated in Eurasian & Mediterraneantradenetworks, barrier: Sahara desert, also coastslessfavourableforharbours • Still: powerful empiresandfarreachingtradenetworks after Bantu Migrations, lowerdevelopedtraderelationswithIndiaandMediterranean • After around 1000: end ofmost African migrations, Sub-SaharanAfricamainlyinhabitedby Bantu speakingpeoples: Kushite, Sudanese, Mande

  3. Africa

  4. After Migrations • Integrationsofgathering & huntingsocietiesbycultivators & herders • Metallurgyalreadyintroducedby 500 BC • Importantfruit: Bananasintroducedaround 300-500 byIndonesiansailorstoMadagascar • Population growth: from 3.5 mio (400 BC) to 22 mio (1000) • Relations withforesters (Pygmies): usedasguides, laterpartlyintegrated

  5. Politcal Organization • Bantu societies: stateless, segmentary, nostatestructures (beaurocracy), instead: kinship • Political entities: villages (withrulingcouncils, groupofvillages: districts), occasionally larger groups (Tiv/Nigeria: upto 1 mio) • Necessitytoorganizedefence: attimesneedformore formal structures, riseofchiefs, smallkingdoms, e.g. Ife, Benin, Kongo • Kingdomof Kongo: around 1200, structure: King withcentralgovernment, 6 provinces, mid 17th centuriescolonizedby Portugal

  6. African Politics & Islam • Islam introducedbycoastal & trans-saharanmechants (Sahara never absolute barrier), tradecenter: Gao • Kingdomof Ghana: from 4th/5th century, tradecenterforgold, ivory & slaves, capital: Koumbi-Saleh (15-20000), large army (200000), tributaryoverlordship, by 10th centuryconversionto Islam • Mali Empire: from 13th century, outstandingruler (Sundiata, r. 1230-55) controlover W-African tradeuntil 15th century, capital: Niani, furthersupportof Islam by King Mansa Musa (r. 1312-37), bylate 15th centuryoutruledbySonghay Empire

  7. East Africa & Indian Ocean Trade • First by Hellenistic & Roman merchants • Later by Malay (Madagascar), Swahili traders, centers: Mogadishu, Mombasa, Zanzibar (city states), outstanding: city state of Kilwa (1300-1505) • Also connections with Central Africa: Zimbabwe with center „Great Zimbabwe“, palace city with 18000 inhabitants

  8. Culture & Society • Around 11th century: hugediversity • Socialdiversificationmainly in kingdoms • Gender relations: specialisedworkmostlybymen, women: pottery, childcare, both: landcultivation, littleIslamicinfluence • High importanceofagegroups • Slavery: traditional, slavetradeacross Indian Oceanand Sahara, 750-1500: around 10 mioSlavestraded, 869-883 Slave revoltledby Ali bin Muhammad • Religion: strong presenceofmonotheism (priests: „Diviners“), Christianity: from 1st century in Egypt, 4th century: Axum, 13th century: EthiopiankingsclaimdescendancefromIsraelie King David • Islam: mainlysince King Mansa Musa (seeabove)

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