West Africa 500 BCE (Before Common Era) to 1600 CE (Common Era) Geography ● Environments of Africa ○ Desert: any area in which few forms of life can exist because of lack of water ■ Sahara covers most of North Africa ○ Savannah: open grasslands with scattered trees that supports grazing animals ○ Rain Forest: moist and densely wooded areas ○ Sahel: strip of land that divides the desert from wetter areas ● Great civilizations in West Africa (W.A.) arose along the Niger River ○ 2,600 miles ○ third longest river in Africa, after the Nile and the Congo Society ● 2 main contributing factors to the survival of early W.A. villages was hard work and family ● Villages society included ○ Basic family units ○ Extended families led by village chiefs ○ A council of elders ● Family members had specific roles & duties based on age-sets ○ Men hunted, farmed, and protected ○ Women collected firewood, water, ground grain, & cared for children ○ Elders cared for and taught the children through oral traditions Religion ● Traditional religious practice was centered on the belief that the spirits of ancestors stayed nearby and animism ○ Spirits are honored by sacred places in homes with carved statues and food is offered to them ○ Animism is the belief that everything has a spirit and this is what animates the universe ■ An animistic belief system suggest that W.A.’s relied strongly on nature for survival Resources ● Mineral resources in W.A. include ○ Salt & Gold ● The earliest group of people to benefit from iron tools were the Nok ○ The Nok people were hunters, warriors, farmers, and artists ● The 2 most significant uses of iron was for clearing land and using it to create weapons ○ Around 500 bc farming improved because people learned how to make iron tools ● After 500 bc W.A.’s were able to live in different places because they could use iron to clear more land for farming Trade ● Technology & Trade had the biggest impact on the growth of W.A. ● The use of camels in desert trading allowed for the traders to travel longer distances in shorter time ● The city of Timbuktu began as a camp for African traders ● W.A. gold trade traveled to as far as Europe ● People south of the Sahara traded their gold for salt ● Trade routes in Africa patterns ○ Salt was carried south ○ Gold was carried north.