7th Grade

Here are 12-2 Notes

Kingdoms, City-States, and Empires
Chapter 12
Section 2
East African Trading Civilizations
• East Africa Boundaries: Red Sea, Indian Ocean
– Primarily trading centers
– Port cities
– Arab and African traders settled the area
• Aksum- Present day Ethiopia
– Controlled trade in the Red Sea
– By 200’s A.D. controlled all trade from India to the Mediterranean Sea
– Christianity came to Aksum around 300 A.D.
– By 600 A.D. Arabs had seized control of the region and Aksum began to decline
• Cities of Trade
– Sailors used seasonal winds to reach China and India, when winds changed, they sailed back
– Took- skins, Ivory, gold and other metals
– Brought back- cotton, silk, and porcelain
– Islam introduced to region during this time
– New language- Swahili- Bantu/Arab language
– Most widely spoken language in Africa today
• Rise of City-States
– City-State- city that has its own traditions, governments, and laws. Both a city and an independent state
• Important city-states
– Malindi, Mombasa, Kilwa, and Great Zimbabwe
– Kilwa
– 3 and 4 story stone and coral dwellings
– Traders paid high taxes to trade there
– Conquered by Portugal in the 1500’s
• Great Zimbabwe
– Inland and east along the Limpopo River
– Connected to the east by a system of trade networks all the way to the Indian Ocean
– Reached it’s peak of power in about 1300 A.D.
– 1000’s of people called this walled city home
North African Trading Powers
– Boundaries- Sahara and Mediterranean Sea
– Phoenicians were the first to explore this region
• Rise and Fall of Carthage
– Phoenician trading center in present day Tunisia
– Wealthiest city in the world at the time
– Controlled trade in the Med. Sea from 500-200 B.C.
– Taken over by Roman Empire in 146 B.C.
– City was destroyed
• Roman and Islamic Influences
– Cities grew all along North Africa under Roman rule
– Christianity spread as well
– 1000’s of miles of roads to connect its empire
– Roman Empire falls in 476 A.D. and competing forces fought over the land until Arabs gained control in 600’s A.D.
– Islam spread and replaced Christianity

West African Kingdoms
• Based on the trade of salt and gold
• No refrigeration at the time so salt was very important
• A lot of trading between north and west Africa
• Growth of important cities like Ghana, Mali, and Songhai and Forest Kingdoms like Benin
• Ghana
• Between the Senegal and Nile Rivers
• Controlled trade in western Africa
• Called the land of gold
• High taxes
• Mali
• Upper Niger River valley
• Powerful in mid 1200’s
• Kings controlled the flow of salt and gold to the north
• Kings were called Mansa-emperor
– Most important Mali king was Mansa Musa
– 20 year reign brought peace to the region
• Mansa Musa and the Spread of Islam
– Was Muslim himself
– Made regular pilgrimages to Mecca
– Brought 60,000 people with him
– Each of his 80 camels carried 300 lbs of gold
– Gave it away as a gift
– Europeans heard about his wealth and began buying Mali gold
• Songhai
– Becomes powerful after Mansa Musa’s death
– Tombouctou was Songhai’s major trading center
– Important caravan stopping location along the Nile
– Greatest Muslim learning center
– Songhai declined after northern invaders attacked in 1591
• Forest Kingdoms
• Benin
– late 1200’s
– Traded ivory, palm oil and pepper
– Worked with bronze, brass, and wood
– Created some of the finest sculpture of the time
– Trade partners- Africa and Europe
– European began to trade guns for slaves
– Many African Americans are descendants of these forest kingdoms