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Chapter 13: Medieval Africa 440-443 CO13-875047 9/28/06 12:56 PM Page 440 440–441 Peter Adams/Getty Images 440–441 Peter Medieval Africa Islamic mosque and marketplace in Djenne, Mali A..D..300 300 A..D.. 700 700 1100 1100 1500 1500 c. A.D.300 c. A.D.750 1324 c. 1441 Axum conquers Arab Muslim Mansa Musa First enslaved Kush traders settle travels to Africans arrive in East Africa Makkah in Europe 440-443 CO13-824133 3/23/04 1:38 AM Page 441 Chapter Overview Visit Chapter Preview jat.glencoe.com for a preview While China enjoyed an artistic golden age, kingdoms in of Chapter 13. Africa grew rich from trading salt and gold. This chapter will tell you about an African ruler who led a great caravan on a long journey from North Africa to the Arabian Peninsula. View the Chapter 13 video in the World History: Journey Across Time Video Program. The Rise of African Civilizations Africa’s geography influenced the rise of its civilizations. The growth of trade led to the exchange of goods and ideas. Africa’s Government and Religion African rulers developed different forms of government. Traditional religions, Christianity, and Islam shaped early African culture. African Society and Culture The family was the foundation of African society. A growing slave trade, however, would disrupt African society. Categorizing Information Make this foldable to help you organize your notes about medieval Africa. Step 1 Draw a map of Step 3 Unfold, turn the Reading and Writing Africa on one side of a paper over (to the clean As you read about the sheet of paper. side), and label as shown. civilizations of Africa, write down three main The Rise of African questions under each Civilizations heading. Then write an answer to each question. Africa’s Government and Religion Step 2 Fold the sheet of paper into thirds from top to bottom. African Society and Culture 441 440-443 CO13-824133 3/23/04 1:40 AM Page 442 Compare and Contrast Making Comparisons One way authors help you to understand information is by organizing material so that you The contrasts can see how people, places, things, or events (differences) compare (are alike) or contrast (are different). are highlighted Read the following passage: in blue. First, look at what is being compared or contrasted. In Some groups, like the Nanti in East this case, it is the Africa, thought people could talk religions of two groups of people directly with their god. Others, like the from Africa, high- Igbo, thought their creator could only be lighted in pink. spoken to through less powerful gods and goddesses who worked for him. Even though Africans practiced their religion differently in different places, their beliefs served similar purposes. They provided rules for living and helped people stay in touch with their history. As you read, look for —from page 463 words that signal the use of comparisons, like, similar, such as or different. The comparisons (similarities) are highlighted in green. 442 440-443 CO13-824133 7/26/04 4:17 PM Page 443 Create a Read to Write You will read about the rise and fall of many Venn Diagram wealthy kingdoms in A Venn diagram can help you to compare and con- Africa during the Middle trast information. Differences are listed in the outside Ages. Choose one of the parts of each circle. Similarities are listed in the portion of kingdoms and do research the two circles that overlap. Read the paragraphs below. to find out what modern Then create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the African nation occupies roles of European and African women as stated in the that same area today. paragraphs. Write a report to compare and contrast the modern nation and the early Differences Similarities Differences African kingdom. As in most medieval societies, women in Africa acted mostly as wives and mothers. Men had more rights and controlled much of what women did. Visitors to Africa, however, saw exceptions. European explorers were amazed to learn that women served as soldiers in some African kingdoms. African women also won fame as rulers. In the A.D. 600s, Queen Dahia al-Kahina led the fight against the Muslim invasion of her kingdom, which was located about where Mauritania is today. Another woman ruler was Queen Nzinga, who ruled lands in what are now Angola and Congo. She spent almost 40 years battling Portuguese slave traders. —from page 470 As you read each section, make Venn diagrams to help you compare and contrast important details. 443 Werner Forman/Art Resource, NY 444-453 C13S1-875047 9/20/06 9:42 PM Page 444 The Rise of African Civilizations What’s the Connection? Meeting People Egypt and Kush were Africa’s first Sundiata Keita great civilizations. In this section, you (sun•dee•AH•tuh KY•tuh) will learn about African civilizations Mansa Musa that developed later. (MAHN•sah moo•SAH) Sunni Ali (sun•EE ah•LEE) Focusing on the • Africa has a vast and varied Building Your Vocabulary landscape. (page 445) plateau (pla•TOH) • West African empires grew rich from griot (GREE•OH) trading salt and gold. (page 447) dhow (DOW) • Africa’s rain forests blocked invaders and provided resources. (page 450) Reading Strategy Summarizing Information • East African kingdoms and states Create diagrams describing the became centers for trade and new accomplishments of each medieval ideas. (page 451) African civilization. Locating Places Ghana (GAH•nuh) Civilization Mali (MAH•lee) Timbuktu (TIHM•BUHK•TOO) Songhai (SAWNG•HY) Axum (AHK•SOOM) A..D.. 300 300 A..D.. 900 900 1500 1500 c. A.D. 300 c. A.D.750 1468 Axum Arab Muslim traders Sunni Ali captures conquers settle in East Africa Timbuktu Kush 444 CHAPTER 13 Medieval Africa 444-453 C13S1-824133 3/23/04 2:26 AM Page 445 European or American had ever risked the Africa’s Geography journey before. The “death road” crossed Africa has a vast and varied landscape. more than 1,500 miles (2,414 km) of the Reading Focus How can geography discourage people Sahara, the world’s largest desert. To get from exploring another place? Read to learn about the lost meant certain death. geographic features that made it difficult for people to Only nomads living in the region knew travel across parts of Africa. the way, but Vischer hoped to map the route. Like the desert nomads, his life In 1906 a teacher named Hans Vischer depended upon finding oases. Upon his explored what he called the “death road,” return, Vischer amazed people with stories a trade route connecting western Africa of the Sahara. He told of swirling winds to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. No and shifting sand dunes. Geography and Climate Zones in Africa 40°N 0° 20 W ° Strait of Gibraltar NTAINS MOU Mediterranean Sea AS ATL L I B Y A N N R il SAHARA e e D R d E . S ARABIAN 20°N AHAGGAR S e E a PENINSULA MOUNTAINS TIBESTI R Mediterranean T Se MOUNTAINS ne ga l R N . ig n e de r Lake f A R lf o . Chad Gu AMHARA Lake PLATEAU Volta Lake Turkana Gulf of Y E Guinea L EQUATOR L Mount Kenya . CONGO A 0° Desert R Lake V o BASIN g Victoria T n F o I N C Lake R Kilimanjaro ATLANTIC T INDIAN Tanganyika A WE E OCEAN R OCEAN G S Lake Malawi N bezi A am R. M Z R A I C B S D A E E G G Savanna S A popo R N E m . D R i A A °S L R 20 T M KALAHARI G R DESERT E Orange B 0 1,000 mi. How people live in Africa depends R. S N E upon where on the continent they K 0 1,000 km A R Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection make their home. D 1. Which type of physical feature Cape of Good Hope covers the largest area of Africa? 20°E40°KEYE60°E 2. How might Africa’s geography have Desert Rain forest affected trading patterns there? Mediterranean Find NGS online map resources @ Rain forest www.nationalgeographic.com/maps Savanna 445 (t)Christine Osborne/Lonely Planet Images, (tc)Frans Lemmens/Getty Images, (bc)Brand X Pictures, (b)Michael Dwyer/Stock Boston/PictureQuest 444-453 C13S1-875047 9/20/06 9:43 PM Page 446 A Vast and Diverse Continent Africa is The African Plateau Almost all of Africa, the world’s second-largest continent. The except the coastal plains, rests on a plateau United States fits into Africa three times, with (pla•TOH)—an area of high flat land. In the room to spare. The Equator slices through the east, movements of the earth's crust millions middle of the continent. Hot, steamy rain of years ago cracked the continent, and parts forests stretch along each side of it. Yet the of the plateau's surface dropped. This rain forests cover only 10 percent of the land. formed the Great Rift Valley, where some of Most of Africa lies in the tropics. Here dry, the earliest human fossils have been found. sweeping grasslands reach for thousands of Africa has many long rivers. You have miles. Most of the tropical grasslands, known already learned about the Nile River and the as savannas, have high temperatures and civilizations of Egypt and Kush along its uneven rains. These wide-open grasslands banks. In West Africa, the Niger River is are perfect for raising herds of animals. For very important. The rich soil along the Niger much of Africa’s history, the people of the grows many crops and gave rise to several savanna were hunters and herders.
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