Sub- Saharan Africa
By Eric Garcia I
Political: There were not many established
governments in the beginning of the history of Sub- Saharan Africa as the
people were more hunters and gatherers. But over time, as technology advanced
and people migrated, government forms began to take place. The people were
organized into hunting and fishing societies. There were not many elites as the
people were all equal to each other since everyone was working for survival and
not luxury. Due to the fact that there was no established government, there
were no laws, and a main reason that contributed Sub- Saharan Africans not
having laws was that they did not know how to write nor did they have any writing
system. The southern part of the African continent in modern day South Africa
had some form of government. There were tribes in these regions called Khoisan.
Khoisan tribes were organized into the San and Khoikhoi. In western Afrcia, there
were powerful kingdoms. Warfare between these kingdoms was very common as they
competed for control and resources. The different kingdoms wanted to control
the caravans of merchants and camels. Ghana was the first kingdom to completely
control the southern end of Saharan trade.
Economic: Iron smelting was done in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Nok culture which lasted from 5 BCE to 2 CE produced different pottery that created an African sculptural style. The kingdoms of western Africa wanted to control the trade routes where merchants and camels would pass through. The trade routes went through the Sahara both north and south, and gold is what the most valuable trade item was. Ghana had full control of the gold traffic from Bambuk. There were gold fields in this region, and the fields had great deposits of gold. Ghana was at a crossroads of trade routes. The Saharan caravans connected Mediterranean markets to markets in western Africa right below the Sahara. South of the Sahara, communication was made easy by east west movement which brought produce to practically anywhere on the continent. Gold was the most important and most valuable African good, but next to gold were slaves. Other important African good included ivory, ostrich feathers, and cola nuts.
Religion: There was no universal religion in sub- Saharan Africa due to the fact that no universal religion had reached sub- Saharan Africa at the time. People would worship spirits and animals. Their religion was animistic, and some people had no religion at all. People would worship ancestry through both sides through the mother and father. People would worship nature and the trees and nature. The people had no holy books, and they did not even consider converting people since survival was too important and took up most of their life. They had many deities, and some people didn’t worship a deity.
Society: Families were close and connected and they would work together to survive whether it be hunting animals or gather fruits and vegetables. Males and females were for the most part equal to each other since survival was the most important thing. People saw past gender barriers and realized that they needed everyone in order to survive. Women would make food, or take care of the children, women would make things such as clothes, and women would gather food. Men would hunt, but most importantly, men and women contributed to the survival of the family. Inequality became more common as slaves were traded, but in the middle of Africa, people were seen as equal, but on the Sahel such as in Ghana, there was gender and social inequality as kings were male and women could not rule. The wearing of body ornaments, beads, and pigments, and planned graves reflect the social and symbolic behavior that has characterized humans throughout world history.
Innovation: There were no advancements in mathematics or science in sub- Saharan Africa. Africans were able to mine gold successfully. Sub- Saharan Africans had technological innovations as they had stone blades, points fastened to shafts to replace hand axes, and tools constructed from bones, and grindstones. The people had advancements in hunting and fishing instead of just advancements in scavenging. Since they hunted and fished, they revolutionized the way humans could get food, because before that, people would just gather food, but with stone weapons, people could now hunt food. People would settle themselves where the food was, in other words, where the food moved, the people moved with it. People were able to exchange goods and ideas across 200 mile distances. Bantu became a commonly spoken language in sub- Saharan Africa as Bantus migrated south into modern day South Africa.
Arts & Architecture: People would wear body ornaments for social distinction and decorations, they would wear beads and pigments, and they would plan their burial sites. Evidence of symbolic behavior of sub- Saharan Africans is reflected in the Blombos Cave in moder day South Africa where excavations revealed a work-place that processed ochre when it was in service. It is believed that sub- Saharan Africans had some music as they would play drums, and dance for religious purposes. They didn’t really construct buildings due to the fact that they were constantly moving from place to place to get food.
Near Geography: Sub- Saharan Africa is located right below the Sahara desert, in the middle of the African continent; it is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and Indian Ocean on the East, and Sahara Desert on the north. The migration of the Bantus into southern Africa makes it easier for the Bantus to completely control that region. Central Africa contained tropical forests, and the Bantus take over this region as well. Sub- Saharan Africa is a little isolated from the rest of the classical world due to the Sahara desert making northern transportation hard, and traveling across the Indian Ocean was not being done on a large scale.
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistories.asp?historyid=ab65
And the Strayer textbook
Economic: Iron smelting was done in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Nok culture which lasted from 5 BCE to 2 CE produced different pottery that created an African sculptural style. The kingdoms of western Africa wanted to control the trade routes where merchants and camels would pass through. The trade routes went through the Sahara both north and south, and gold is what the most valuable trade item was. Ghana had full control of the gold traffic from Bambuk. There were gold fields in this region, and the fields had great deposits of gold. Ghana was at a crossroads of trade routes. The Saharan caravans connected Mediterranean markets to markets in western Africa right below the Sahara. South of the Sahara, communication was made easy by east west movement which brought produce to practically anywhere on the continent. Gold was the most important and most valuable African good, but next to gold were slaves. Other important African good included ivory, ostrich feathers, and cola nuts.
Religion: There was no universal religion in sub- Saharan Africa due to the fact that no universal religion had reached sub- Saharan Africa at the time. People would worship spirits and animals. Their religion was animistic, and some people had no religion at all. People would worship ancestry through both sides through the mother and father. People would worship nature and the trees and nature. The people had no holy books, and they did not even consider converting people since survival was too important and took up most of their life. They had many deities, and some people didn’t worship a deity.
Society: Families were close and connected and they would work together to survive whether it be hunting animals or gather fruits and vegetables. Males and females were for the most part equal to each other since survival was the most important thing. People saw past gender barriers and realized that they needed everyone in order to survive. Women would make food, or take care of the children, women would make things such as clothes, and women would gather food. Men would hunt, but most importantly, men and women contributed to the survival of the family. Inequality became more common as slaves were traded, but in the middle of Africa, people were seen as equal, but on the Sahel such as in Ghana, there was gender and social inequality as kings were male and women could not rule. The wearing of body ornaments, beads, and pigments, and planned graves reflect the social and symbolic behavior that has characterized humans throughout world history.
Innovation: There were no advancements in mathematics or science in sub- Saharan Africa. Africans were able to mine gold successfully. Sub- Saharan Africans had technological innovations as they had stone blades, points fastened to shafts to replace hand axes, and tools constructed from bones, and grindstones. The people had advancements in hunting and fishing instead of just advancements in scavenging. Since they hunted and fished, they revolutionized the way humans could get food, because before that, people would just gather food, but with stone weapons, people could now hunt food. People would settle themselves where the food was, in other words, where the food moved, the people moved with it. People were able to exchange goods and ideas across 200 mile distances. Bantu became a commonly spoken language in sub- Saharan Africa as Bantus migrated south into modern day South Africa.
Arts & Architecture: People would wear body ornaments for social distinction and decorations, they would wear beads and pigments, and they would plan their burial sites. Evidence of symbolic behavior of sub- Saharan Africans is reflected in the Blombos Cave in moder day South Africa where excavations revealed a work-place that processed ochre when it was in service. It is believed that sub- Saharan Africans had some music as they would play drums, and dance for religious purposes. They didn’t really construct buildings due to the fact that they were constantly moving from place to place to get food.
Near Geography: Sub- Saharan Africa is located right below the Sahara desert, in the middle of the African continent; it is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and Indian Ocean on the East, and Sahara Desert on the north. The migration of the Bantus into southern Africa makes it easier for the Bantus to completely control that region. Central Africa contained tropical forests, and the Bantus take over this region as well. Sub- Saharan Africa is a little isolated from the rest of the classical world due to the Sahara desert making northern transportation hard, and traveling across the Indian Ocean was not being done on a large scale.
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistories.asp?historyid=ab65
And the Strayer textbook
Khoikhoi tribesman as you can see, they were hunters and gatherers. https://www.google.com/search?q=ancient+ghana&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=ENM0U4n9Gurl2AWsrIDgBw&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1440&bih=783#q=khoikhoi&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=4yABoc0dgN-uQM%253A%3BIFbdNm-TUUnCuM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.historywiz.com%252Fimages%252Fafrica%252Fsanreconstruction.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.historywiz.com%252Fkhoisan.htm%3B550%3B430