Ancient African
Civilizations
AP World History
1st Period
Created By:
Jessica Shafer
Group Members:
Angie Wong
Kaylyn Thompson
Christina Polvian
Introduction
• What am I trying to explain?
– In this power point, I am trying to explain how the Ancient African
Civilizations lived and the important characteristics of the
civilizations.
• What are the ancient civilizations of Africa?
– The Ancient Civilizations of Africa are Egypt and Nubia.
• Where are the Ancient African Civilizations located?
– These civilizations, Egypt and Nubia, are located in the Nile River
Valley, right of the Sahara Desert, to the left of the Red Sea and
below the Mediterranean Sea in the northern part of Africa.
• Why is this important?
– These civilizations are important to world history, not only because
they are historical events, but what happened in these places
influenced and affected the events of the people around them.
Egypt and Nubia, like Mesopotamia, were major influences during
this time.
• What is the time period for the assignment?
– The events in this power point take place from 8,000 B.C.E to 600
B.C.E.
S.W.O.T. Analysis
Strengths
•
•
Military Rule and strong military
background.
Protected by water and the Sahara
Desert
Weaknesses
• Egyptian and Nubian conflictFrequent violence during the Old
Kingdom period.
•People of Egypt eventually
became so powerful they begin
ignoring authority, as a result the
central state decline and soon
vanished.
S.W.O.T. Analysis (Continued)
Opportunities
•
•
Being so close to Nile River
gave them the opportunities
to have better transportation
via river and better chances at
successfully mastering
agricultural techniques.
They had specialized labor
because they had adopted
agriculture and were looking
to better their lives.
Threats
•Other civilizations
•Mesopotamia
•Themselves (Nubia and
Egypt)
•Indus Valley
•The Nile River because it may
flood
Egypt and Nubia
• Egypt was known as the “Gift of the
Nile” because it could take better
advantage of its resources. Egypt was
the most prominent Ancient African
society.
• Egypt emerged alongside Nubia, which
too, could have been called the “Gift of
the Nile”.
• Both societies practiced early
agricultural techniques which led to
the success of new inventions and
specialized labor, such as pottery,
metallurgy, and decorations for their
homes.
Egyptian and Nubian Government
• Egypt and Nubia were
kingdoms constantly ran by
kings and pharaohs.
•
Egypt and Nubia were
patriarchal societies, which
meant they put authority in
the hands of adult males.
• Nubia’s government was
hierarchical, while Egyptians
relied on military forces, a
bureaucracy of
administrators, and tax
collectors to serve as their
central government.
Important Events
Unification
of Egypt:
3,100 B.C.E
Pyramid
Building first
began2,600- 2,500
B.C.E
3,000
B.C.E
2,500
B.C.E
Egyptian
Middle
Kingdom2,0401,640 B.C.E
2,000
B.C.E
Beginning of
Bantu Migrations2,000 B.C.E
1,500
B.C.E
Egyptian Old
Kingdom:
Egyptian New
Kingdom-
2,660- 2,160
B.C.E
1,550- 1,070
B.C.E
Kingdom of
Kush Arose2,5001,450 B.C.E
Invention of
Iron
Metallurgy900 B.C.E
1,000
B.C.E
Important Events (Continued)
•
Unification of Egypt (3,100
B.C.E.)- Egypt came to unified rule by
a conqueror named Menes, which
combined upper and lower Egypt.
•
Egyptian Old Kingdom (2,6602,160 B.C.E)- The power of pharaohs
were the greatest during this period.
Tensions led to violence during this
period between Egypt and Nubia.
•
Pyramid building first began
(2,600- 2,500 B.C.E)- Constructed
as royal tombs, these structures were
the most enduring symbols of a
pharaohs’ authority and divine status.
•
Kingdom of Kush Arose (2,5001,450 B.C.E) - Nubia established the
powerful kingdom of Kush as a result
in the Egyptian presence in the north
of Upper Nubia.
•Egyptian Middle Kingdom (2,040- 1,640
B.C.E.)- Pharaonic authority returned with the
establishment of the Middle Kingdom. However,
pharaohs were not as powerful as they were in
the Old Kingdom.
•Beginning of Bantu Migrations (2,000
B.C.E.) - Bantu migrations were not mass
movements of people. It occurred gradually. It
was said that population pressures drove the
migrations.
•Egyptian New Kingdom (1,550- 1,070
B.C.E.)- Egyptian leaders gradually pushed the
Hyksos out of the Nile delta and founded the
New Kingdom. Pharaohs presided over a
prosperous and productive society.
•Invention of Iron Metallurgy (900 B.C.E.)
- Since Nubia didn’t have the resources to
make bronze, they had to import copper and
tin from the north. However, the Hittites
developed techniques for foraging iron. After
that, iron metallurgy rose with experiments on
iron ore.
People
•
Menes- A ruler who brought unified rule
to Egypt in 3,100 B.C.E, which combined
Upper and Lower Egypt. He founded the
city of Memphis, which served as Menes’
capital. He was sometimes identified
with an early Egyptian ruler called
Narmer. He was a minor official who rose
to power and extended his authority
from Upper to Lower Egypt.
•
Egyptians- People of Egypt who also
came up with a writing system called
Hieroglyphs, which were just a bunch of
pictures to represent words. They were
huge influences on the people around
them and the people they traded with.
•
Hyksos- The Hyksos were horse-riding
nomads who were also known as
“foreign rulers’. These people were
particularly Semitic people who had
probably introduced Egypt to horses.
They captured Memphis and claimed
authority over all of Egypt. Their rule
provoked a strong reaction in Upper
Egypt.
Bantu Language Speakers- Bantu
Language Speakers were among the most
influential peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa in
ancient times. They cultivated many crops
and had a migration called the Bantu
Migration. The Bantu displayed a readiness to
migrate to new territories. By their
migrations, they had invented new
technology and began to grow into a society.
Tuthmosis III- Tuthmosis was one of the
New Kingdom pharaohs who reigned from
1,479-1,425 B.C.E. He was important
because he personally led Palestine to Syria
and dominated the coastal regions of the
Eastern Mediterranean as well as North
Africa.
Pharaoh Akhenaten- He was also known as
Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, who reigned from
1,353-1,335 B.C.E. He was important
because he considered Aten the World’s “sole
god” and as long as he lives, the Cult of Aten
flourished.
Writing System
• Hieroglyphic writing first appeared around
3,200 B.C.E. Its said to be a result of
Mesopotamian influence.
• Hieroglyphs were pictographic writing but soon
became symbols representing words and
sounds. There are more than 2,000
hieroglyphic characters.
•Nubia peoples spoke their own
language, although, their writing was
Egyptian hieroglyphic writing.
•Nubian scribes soon after created an
alphabetic script for the Meroitic
language that used sounds instead of
ideas to create a flexible writing
system. This was the result for when
the Kushite Capital moves from Napata
to Meroë.
Egyptian and Nubian Gods
•
Amon- Amon was one of the
two principal gods. Amon was
associated with the sun,
creation, fertility, and
reproductive forces. Amon was
originally a local Theban deity.
•
Re- Re was associated with the
sun and was known as the god
worshiped at Heliopolis.
•
They both were increasingly
associated with and honored in a
combined Cult. Egyptians and
Nubians believed that Amon-Re
was the universal god who
presided over all the earth.
Egyptian and Nubian Gods (Continued)
•
Aten- Aten is another god associated with the sun.
Amenhotep IV, also known as Akhenaten, built a
new capital city in honor of Aten and encouraged
other people to worship him too.
•
Apedemak- Apedemak is one of the Nubian deities
who was often depicted with a bow and arrow. He
also served as the war god of the Kingdom of Kush.
Ancient Egyptian and Nubian Art Forms
Wall painting
of Nefertari
Sobek, crocodile god
of ancient Egypt.
Bibliography
Books:
Bentley, Jerry H. and Herbert, Ziegler. Traditions
Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past. The
McGraw Hill Companies, Glenco.
Murray, Dr. Jocelyn and Sheehan, Sean. Cultural Atlas for
Young People: Africa. Facts On File, Inc. 2003
Ehret, Christopher. The Civilizations of Africa: a History to
1800. The University Press of Virginia. 2002