THE ANCIENTS OF AFRICA
CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION
ROCK PAINTINGS IN THE SAHARA
INDIAN OCEAN TRADE TO EAST AFRICA
INTERIOR TRADE FROM EAST TO CENTRAL AFRICA
EGYPTIAN KINGDOMS/EMPIRES
NORTH AFRICA CARTHAGE EMPIRE
AXUM KINGDOM/EMPIRE
PRE-HISTORY
THE ANCIENTS
HUNTERS AND GATHERERS
FIRST HUMANS: ARDI4.4 MILLION YEAR OLD WOMAN
FIRST HUMANS: CHADTHE 3.5 MILLION-YEAR-OLD MAN
FIRST HUMANS: ETHIOPIATHE 3.2 YEAR-OLD WOMAN–LUCY
FIRST HUMANS: OLDUVAI GORGE (Present-day) TANZANIA
OLDUVAI RIVER & GORGE2 million year old man
FIRST HUMANS:“NUTCRACKER MAN”
Mary Leakey found a skullDiscovered in 1959
FIRST HUMANS:“NUTCRACKER MAN”
Mary Leakey reconstructed the skull of the 1.75 million year old man
FIRST HUMANS:ROCK PAINTINGS IN THE SAHARA
5,000 BC
Short Answer #10
What pictures do you see carved into the Tibesti Mountains?
Who carved them?
FIRST HUMANS:ROCK PAINTINGS IN THE SAHARA
In 5,000 BC what picture do you see carved into the Tibesti Mts?
In what environment does this animal live?
ROCK PAINTINGS OF THE SAHARAAnswer to Short Answer #10
Hunters and Gathers c. 5000 BC etched animals into the rocks of the Tibesti Mountains
What animals do you see?
The implication concerns environment of the Sahara in 5000 BC
What is the environment in which these animals live?
Significance? What do we know about the environment of the Saharan in 5000 BC?
DEVELOPING CIVILIZATIONS
TRANSMISSION OF CULTURE
TRADE: Products and Ideas/Culture (Language, Writing System, Religion, etc.)
MIGRATION: People move from one region to another taking with them their Products and Ideas
CONQUEST: One Government conquers a group of people forcing on them their Products and Ideas
ANCIENT EAST AFRICA
AFRICA AND THE WORLD ECONOMY
MY POINT IN DISCUSSION #2 and The Essay:
EAST AFRICAN TRADING STATES:
City states on the coast of East Africa
The most important of the 40 or more East African Trading States was Kilwa.
Trade and Culture moved across the Indian Ocean
Plantains and Coco Yams from SE Asia enabled people to farm in the forest c. 1500 BC
The language of Madagascar shows connection with Borneo
Kingdom of Kongo (Central Africa) overland portage east trades with the Indian Ocean
TRADE TO INDIA, CHINA, AND SE ASIA
EAST AFRICAN COASTAL TRADING CITY STATES
EAST AFRICAN TRADING STATES
Traders in the Indian Ocean Basin
Traveled by the Indian Ocean Monsoon seasons: from November to March the winds blow toward Africa; from April to October the winds blow away from Africa.
1/29/23
INDIAN OCEAN BASIN TRADE
Indian Ocean Monsoon Trade Winds System: Winds Blow Traders toward the East African Coast November to March; Winds Blow Traders back to their home countries April to October
EAST AFRICAN TRADING STATES
East African Region referred to as Azania (you can see this reflected in the name Tanzania even as it is constructed from the two names Tanganyika and Zanzibar)
By 5th century AD supported a mixed economy of Fishing, Farming, Cattle Herding, and
Inter-Community Coastal Commerce
ANCIENT CENTRAL AFRICA
TRADE TO THE INTERIOR
Trade from the East African Trading City States was brought to Central Africa by Porterage bringing forest crops coco yams, plantains, AND Bananas to the interior
Forest Peoples had to live close to the edge of the forest to do any farming in the savannah region next to it making them vulnerable to conquest OR crop pilfering.
NEW CROPS are Forest Crops enabling Forest Peoples to move further into the forest to farm
KINGDOM OF KONGO
Short Answer #19
CIVILIZATION: KONGO
SEDENTARY FARMERS: Tropical Environment grew AFTER Trade brought them to Central Africa c. 1500 BC. Coco yams, plantains, and bananas
SURPLUS OF FOOD & TECHNOLOGY TO CREATE IT: Slash and Burn Agriculture
DIVISION OF LABOR: Had a Standing Army, Blacksmiths
URBANIZATION: Capital M'banza Kongo
CULTURE—No Writing System; GOVERNMENT–State with a King (Manikongo); RELIGION–Polytheism, Oral LITERATURE–passed down from generation to generation, Problem with Monumental Architecture–the buildings were made of wood and in the tropical region there is constant decay.
KINGDOM OF KONGO“LEOPARD KING”
ANCIENT NORTHEAST AFRICA
THE EMPIRE OF EGYPT
AFRICA AND THE WORLD ECONOMY
MY POINT IN THE DISCUSSION #2 and The Essay:
GLOBALIZATION OF THE EASTERN HEMISPHERE
The Nile River Valley that becomes Egypt was trading with the Indus, Tigris & Euphrates, and Hwang-Ho River Valleys by 1000 BC
AFRICA CENTRAL TO GLOBAL TRADE BY 1000 BC
NILE RIVER VALLEYANCIENT EGYPT
EGYPTIAN CULTURE
WRITING SYSTEM: HIEROGLYPHICS
Writing System dates from 3000 BC (not the oldest—Mesopotamian Cuneiform is the oldest 3100 BC)
This is not an alphabet
We know the most about Egypt because they wrote everything down on walls of tombs, temples, and palaces as well as writing on Papyrus paper
Papyrus paper documents were kept in sealed clay jars where they were preserved by moisture being wicked away.
A Library in Alexandria contained these types of documents
PAPYRUSPAPER
ROSETTA STONE
HIEROGLYPICS DECIPHERED in 1822 by Frenchman Jean Champollion after Egypt's Defeat by Napoleon
A TRANSLATION:
Bottom Section: Old Greek
Middle Section: New Greek (says exactly what the Old Greek says)
Top Section: Hierogyphics
THE KEY TO TRANSLATION
LIBRARY AT ALEXANDRIA
One of the largest and most significant libraries of the ancient world.
The Library was created by Ptolemy I Soter, who was a Macedonian general and the successor of Alexander the Great. built in 3rd century BC
The Library functioned as a major center of scholarship. With collections of works, lecture halls, meeting rooms, and gardens, the library was part of a larger research institution called the Musaeum of Alexandria, housing many of the most famous thinkers of the ancient world.
Most of the books were kept as papyrus scrolls, and though it is unknown how many such scrolls were housed at any given time. The Hoarding of Papyrus cause the rest of the world to turn to parchment for writing material
The library may have suffered several fires or acts of destruction over many years. Including a fire set by Julius Caesar in 48 BC, destruction in 30 BC, an attack by Aurelian in the AD 270s, and the decree of Coptic Pope Theophilus in AD 391.
After the main library was fully destroyed, ancient scholars used a "daughter library" in a temple known as the Serapeum, located in another part of the city. According to Socrates of Constantinople, Coptic Pope Theophilus destroyed the Serapeum in AD 391.
SPREAD OF THE ALPHABET
The Phoenicians created an alphabet of 22 consonants ins 1000BC
Notice the proposed Egyptian influence on the alphabet
The Phoenicians used this alphabet throughout the Mediterranean Basin to issue receipts (Bills of Sale)
The Greeks admired the alphabet, but changed it by adding vowels
The Romans changed the shape of the letters
This is the alphabet we use today
POLYTHEISM
The gods who helped create the world
Sun god Re
Beetle symbol of creation
Nun god of watery chaos that existed before the gods created the world
RELIGION: POLYTHEISM
Many Egyptian gods were portrayed as animals, or as human beings with animal heads like Anubis, the god of the dead, because the Egyptians considered all animals to be sacred. Anyone who deliberately killed an animal would be punished with death (But they were not vegetarians). Cats that had died would be embalmed and buried in sacred receptacles.
ANUBISBASTET
PERSIANS USE EGYPT'S OWN RELIGION TO DEFEAT THE EGYPTIANS
A more dramatic illustration of the importance of cats
Battle of Pelusium in 525 BCE in which Cambyses II of Persia defeated the forces of Egypt
Soldiers paint the image of the great cat goddess Bastet on their shields Soldiers drove the animals loved by the Egyptians before their front lines.
The Egyptians, afraid of offending their gods by hurting the animals, surrendered their position and fled in a rout, during which most were massacred.
In this way Cambyses II of Persia conquered Egypt and was so contemptuous of the Egyptians for preferring the safety of animals to their own freedom that he hurled cats into the faces of the Egyptians during his triumphal march after the battle.
EGYPTIAN BOOK OF THE DEADc. 1240 BC
Hymns
Prayers
Magic Spells
MORAL CODE:
I did not kill
I did not steal
I did not lie
I have given food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty
EGYPTIAN BELIEF IN LIFE AFTER DEATH
MAN’S PROTOCOL
The body was washed & oils were rubbed onto the skin.
Internal organs were removed thru incision in the abdomen
The brain was pulled out through the nose and discarded; believed the brain useless & all thinking was by the heart.
The rest of the organs were dried & sealed in canopic jars
The body was covered in salt crystals to dry it out.
After 40 days the body was washed & stuffed with linen, sawdust, & spices & wrapped in linen bandages soaked in resin.
A painted mask was placed over the face; amulets & jewels placed on the body, which was then wrapped a second time.
Three coffins were prepared—shaped like bodies & fitted into each other. They could be made of clay, wood, or stone. Coffins of pharaohs were made of gold and decorated with colored glass. The mummy was placed inside the coffins and they were all put in a large outer coffin.
Many of the person's possessions along with items the person would need in the afterlife would be buried with the mummy, such as food, wine, clothes, chairs, tables, headrests, linen, boxes, chests, jewelry, amulets, model boats and model houses
This includes servants and wives to be rewarded for good service by going directly to the afterlife
EGYPTIAN BELIEF IN LIFE AFTER DEATH
THE GODS’ PROTOCOL:
Once the Pharaoh is dead, the gods search the kingdom for the Pharaoh’s accomplishments found in his monuments
The Pharaoh’s spirit waits at the River Styx to be verified
Once verified, the boatman ferries the Pharaoh and his entourage to the afterlife with all of his possessions.
Governmental Administrators,Generals, and Nobles: Remembered in Statues and Accomplishments
PERSONAL IMMORTALITY
Pharaoh Remembered:
Pharaoh’s Accomplishments recorded on the walls of tombs and temples And Monuments like the Obelisk (see next slide and the details after slides on Thutmosis III) as well as Statues
Governmental Administrators, Generals, and Nobles: Remembered in Statues and Accomplishments
OBELISKTHUTMOSIS III
The Obelisk describes one of Egypt’s victories under the reign of Thutmose III
Where is it today?
How?
Why?
OBELISKS OUT OF EGYPT
ROME
AT THE VATICAN
LONDON
NEW YORK CITY CENTRAL PARK
PYRAMIDS
IN THE LAND OF THE PYRAMIDS
THE SPHINX(at Giza)
THE SPHINX 4th DYNASTY
Found at the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile River (in present-day Cairo)
The Sphinx is not totally man-made
The body of the sculpture is a limestone bedrock outcrop—look at the weathering of the rock in the pictures caused by rain in a time long before the Pharaohs (3500 BC)?
The head of the pharaoh (believed to be Khafra of the 4th dynasty c. 2500 BC) and paws of the lion made of limestone were added—note no weathering of head or paws although the head has been damaged by war
Significance? First truly colossal royal sculpture in Egypt; largest sculpture in the round
THE SPHINX(at Giza)
TEMPLE: HATSHEPSUT18th Dynasty
HATSHEPSUT–FEMALE PHARAOH18TH DYNASTY
Aka Termuthis
Regent
Pharaoh
THE STORY OF HATSHEPSUTHISTORICAL CONTROVERSY
18TH Dynasty Reigned from c. 1550s thru the death of Thutmose III 1425
Pharaoh Thutmose I (The TH is pronounced “T” so the name is Tut Moses; the daughters name is Tear Moses)
Son and Daughter: Thutmose II and Thermuthis b. 1508 BC (both children trained to rule) Thermuthis aka Hatshepsut I
Thutmose II has a son with a woman from the Harem (Isis): Thutmose III
Thutmose dies when the son was an infant
Hatshepsut reigns as regent for the son at age 30
Hatshepsut is good at enlarging and managing the empire and changes her role from Regent to Pharaoh—wears the regalia of the Pharaoh including the beard (the Egyptian Pharaohs did not grow beards but added them as a part of the regalia)
Hatshepsut is NOT the first female Pharaoh; Reigned for 20 years
She is remembered because when Thutmose III came of age to become Pharaoh, she would not step down imprisoning him in the Harem.
She continued her reign
THUTMOSIS’S REVENGE
HATSHEPSUT died under questionable circumstances in 1458BC
THUTMOSIS becomes Pharaoh and extends Egypt’s boundaries to their largest extent
His First Act as Pharaoh?
He tried to eradicate All of the Monuments declaring Hatshepsut’s Accomplishments; He “sanded” her name from monuments; decapitated statues of her as pharaoh and buried statues and heads in the desert.
So when the gods travelled the land looking for her accomplishments they would find None.
He tried to Deny her the Afterlife
He tried to write her out of History
HATSHEPSUT PHARAOH OF THE EXODUS 1477 BC
THEORY:PHARAOH OF THE EXODUS
Many now propose that the Exodus happened much earlier that previously believed; this theory has not been proved
The time period now: The reign of the Thutmose family of the 18th dynasty
Interesting that in the Bible story the baby rescued from the river is name Moses
We have always identified Ramses II as the Pharaoh of the Exodus because of the previous dating—but say it comes from the Bible
Check your scripture: The Pharaoh is never identified
Significance? New scientific findings in geology and archaeology cause historians to revise history; in this case the volcano Thera in the Aegean Sea blows its top and the winds of the Mediterranean Basin bring the debris across Egypt and the resulting tsunami affects the Mediterranean and Red Seas depending upon which exit route you believe the Hebrews took
HATSHEPSUTTHE MUMMY
THUTMOSIS III18TH DYNASTY
5. ART: THE OBELISK
A tapered monolithic pillar, originally erected in pairs at the entrances of ancient Egyptian temples.
The Egyptian obelisk was carved from a single piece of stone, usually red granite from the quarries at Aswān.
It was designed to be wider at its square or rectangular base than at its pyramidal top, which was often covered with an alloy of gold and silver called electrum.
All four sides of the obelisk’s shaft are embellished with hieroglyphs that characteristically include religious dedications, usually to the sun god, and commemorations of the rulers.
An inscription on the base of Hatshepsut’s 97-foot standing obelisk at Karnak indicates that the work of cutting it out of the quarry took seven months.
In the Temple of Hatshepsut at Thebes are scenes of the transport of the obelisk down the Nile by barge. At its destination workmen put the shaft into place upon its detached base by hauling it up a ramp made of earth and tilting it.
75-foot monumental pillar fashioned from pink granite,
Obelisk of Luxor in the Place de la Concorde
Account of Pharonic conquests
Referred to as Cleopatra's Needle
RAMSES II 19th DYNASTY(reigned 1279-1213 BC)
How is Ramses II involved?
Original dating of the Exodus?
Longest reigning Pharaoh with the largest Harem?
Accused of putting his name on monuments whose names were absent?
ANCIENT NORTH AFRICA
THE BERBERS
THE TRADING EMPIRE OF CARTHAGE
BERBERS NORTH AFRICA
BERBERS
The Berber-speakers Are A Non-Semitic People Who Since Prehistoric Times Inhabited The Mediterranean Coastline From Egypt To The Atlantic.
They Dominated North Africa Until It Was Conquered By Arabs In The 7th Century.
Berbers Call Themselves 'Imazighen' (Free), Plural Of 'Amazigh' Of The Afro-asiatic Family And Is Related To Ancient Egyptian And Ethiopian Languages
Short Answer #11
BERBER FACES
Carthage (c. 814BC)
EMPIRE OF CARTHAGE
C.1200BC Carthage began as a Phoenician Settlement/Colony as Phoenicians established a Port at present-day Tunis for Trade
Began as a State 814BC
Controlled trade from the African Interior to the Mediterranean Sea Basin
Discussion #2: Trade from Africa into the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, the British Isles (the Phoenicians traded there), and West Asia
Grew into an Empire controlling Trade in the Mediterranean Sea
Rival to the Romans—Competed for a Monopoly on Sea Trade
Conquered by Rome during the 3 Punic (Phoenician) Wars from 264BC-146BC
Short Answer #12
The Essay
COLONY OF CARTHAGEParticipation in the Mediterranean Trade
ALEXANDER THE GREAT
Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 331 BC
Founded the city of Alexandria.
At the Oracle of Siwa, in the eponymous Egyptian oasis, he was proclaimed a son of the god Zeus-Ammon
Though he had conquered Egypt, Alexander was not interested in imposing his own ideas of truth, religion, or behavior upon the people as long as they willingly kept the supply lines open to feed and equip his troops (an important aspect of his ability to rule vast areas which was to be neglected by his successors).
However he was known to ruthlessly suppress uprisings and viciously annihilate those who opposed him.
After designing the plan for the city of Alexandria, he left Egypt for further campaigns
3rd Century BC Library built by Macedonian General Successor to Alexander the Great, Ptolemy I Soter (Great. . . . Grand-father of Cleopatra VI)
Known as One of the Largest and Most Significant libraries of the Ancient World
Documents written on Papyrus Scrolls; at its height held an estimated range from 40,000 to 400,000
ROMAN AFRICA
ROME IN AFRICA
Conquest of The Empire of Carthage 146BC
Comprised the territory of present-day Tunisia, the northeast of modern-day Algeria, and the small Mediterranean Sea coast of modern-day western Libya along the Syrtis Minor
It was one of the wealthiest provinces in the western part of the empire, second only to Italia.
The Arabs later named roughly the same region as the original province Ifriqiya, a rendering of Africa, from the Latin language.
North Africa Temperate Climate; Becomes the “Granary of the [Roman] Empire”
NORTHEAST AFRICA RED SEA
THE EMPIRE OF AXUM (AKSUM)
(present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea)
EMPIRE OF AXUM
KINGDOM OF AXUM
At one time Axum included the southern part of the Arabian peninsula
Axum’s major sea-trade port was Adulis
Axum TAXED trade on the Red Sea
Short Answer #13
The Essay
AFRICA AND THE WORLD ECONOMY
MY POINT FOR THE DISCUSSION #2 and The Essay:
AFRICA CENTRAL TO GLOBAL TRADE
From 900 – 700 BC we have the consolidation of the Kingdom/Empire of Axum
By 100 BC The Kingdom of Axum CONTROLLED the trade on the Red Sea during & after it included part of the Arabian peninsula by TAXING the ships travelling North from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea & South from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean.
TRANSMISSION OF CULTURE
c. 900 BC by Migration: Religion–Jewish men sent to Axum with Melelik I (son of Solomon and Sa’aba)
c. AD 330 by Trade: Religion–East Orthodox Christianity spread by Greek traders
AXUM CONTROLLED THE TRADE ON THE RED SEA
THE PORT OF ADULIS
Axum taxed traders to enter and exit the Red Sea
THE PORT OF ADULIS (1997)
Today
Archaelogical Excavation:
Port? What no Water?
The Change of Red Sea Currents and Silting in of shallow bays.
AXUM IN THE GLOBAL TRADE
AXUMITE CULTURE
QUEEN OF SHEBA
Makeda or Maqueda
An ancient compilation of Ethiopian legends, Kebra Negast ('the Glory of Kings'), is dated to seven hundred years ago and relates a history of Makeda and her descendants. In this account King Solomon is said to have seduced the Queen of Sheba and sired her son, Menelik I, who would become the first Emperor of Ethiopia.
Queen of Sheba was an ancient name for Abyssinia, a kingdom on the Red Sea in the vicinity of modern Ethiopia and Yemen. The Queen of Sheba is best known for a story in the Bible's book of Kings: at the head of a caravan of riches, she visits Israel's King Solomon to test his legendary wisdom.
After Solomon successfully answers her riddles, the queen showers him with gifts. According to Ethiopian tradition the queen returned to Sheba and bore a son by Solomon, Menelik I, who was the beginning of the Ethiopian royal dynasty. Short Answer #13
QUEEN OF SA’BA (SHEBA)
Watch the Video Clip For The Story of SOLOMON & SHEBA
THE FOUNDING MYTH
The Founding Myth can be seen on the video on the Course Documents Page The Ark of the Covenant: The Kingdom of Axum
The Queen of Sheba pictured traveling to meet King Solomon of Israel
Popular design on Fabric shows Solomon and Sheba under the covers
(get the soap opera on the video)
THE STORY OF THE ARK OF THE COVENENT
Menelik (son of Solomon and Sheba) is raised by his mother in Axum; when he reaches majority, his mother sends him to study governance with his father in Israel
Solomon teaches his son, but expects him to stay in Israel; Menelik becomes one of the cadre of next leaders of their professions among the Jewish young men
Menelik then returns to Axum; Solomon sends with him 100 Jewish young men who marry Axumite women; and the royals of the region becomes Jewish.
Son of the Chief Priest brings with him the Ark of the Covenant which is now believed to be held in St. Mary's of Zion in the City of Axum, Ethiopia.
In the 1980s Ethiopian Jews were airlifted to Israel because of the famine. They had spent the years since the birth of the Israeli state 91948) proving that they were the "Lost Tribe of Dan" practicing Judaism in the Ethiopian Highlands with a Torah that dated from King Solomon's time.
Short Answer #13
ST. MARY’S OF ZIONAXUM
AXUMITE RELIGION
IF Menelik I is the son of Solomon and Sheba
IF Menelik I spent time learning from his father Solomon
IF Solomon sent 100 young men with Menelik I back to Axum Spread of Culture by Migration Religion: (The 100 young Jewish men would then marry young Axumite girls = a new generation of Jewish children)
ETHIOPIA'S OFFICIAL RELIGION UNTIL Spread of Culture by Trade: Religion: AD330 when King Ezana made Christianity (East Orthodox Christianity) the Religion of the Empire–ETHIOPIAN CHRISTIANITY (Different from Egyptian Coptic Christianity)
THE STELAE FIELD
AD 300-500 most of the Axum stelae seem to predate the arrival of Christianity to Ethiopia. Their purpose is almost certainly religious, but the details are not known for certain.
Obelisks
The stelae were most likely funeral monuments for Axum's ancient rulers, who may have been buried in tombs beneath them. Some have altars at the base with grooves cut into them to carry away blood from sacrifices.
STELE
Large granite stele
One carved funeral monument
Must be of the exact proportions
OR
A fallen Stele.
Look at the false door to trick grave robbers
TOMB ENTRANCE UNDER THE STELAE
Several rooms with a stone bench
Electricity due to the Tourism Industry
KING EZANA–AD330 MAKES EAST ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY THE RELIGION OF THE EMPIRE
KING EZANA
Made East Orthodox Christianity the religion of the Empire of Axum AD330
CHURCH AT LALIBELLA
CARVED FROM A SOLID WALL OF STONE
CHURCH AT LALIBELLA
GE’EZ AMHARIC SCRIPT
Ge’ez was the language and writing system of Axum
Later continued as the language & writing system of the Ethiopian Church
(East Orthodox Christianity)
Today, standardized to the computer
All documents written in the Amharic Script;
The official Language of Ethiopia is Amhara although some 40 languages exist
Short Answer #13
Prayer book written by hand
GONDAR
Axum construction
If you didn’t know that this was in Ethiopia (Axum); where would you think it was located?
When the explorer James Bruce told the Royal Geographic Society in 1790 about the royalty and construction he found in Axum, he was accused of lying.
ISLAM ARRIVES TO AXUM AD 622MEDIEVAL PERIOD
Mohammed escapes from Mecca to Medina where he establishes his first Mosque c. 622
Mohammed sends a colony across the Red Sea to Axum to protect his “church.” c. 622
At the time, this was the Eritrean province of Ethiopia. Ethiopia was East Orthodox Christian which had be transmitted by Trade with Greek sailors
Today the land is Eritrea
