African Kingdoms
Section 2
Trading States of East Africa
Preview
• Main Idea / Reading Focus
• Aksum and Ethiopia
• Map: Aksum and Ethiopia
• Coastal City-States
• Great Zimbabwe
African Kingdoms
Section 2
Trading States of East Africa
Main Idea
The growth of trade led to the development of wealthy kingdoms
and city-states in East Africa.
Reading Focus
• How did trade and religion influence the development of
Aksum and Ethiopia?
• How did trade lead to the rise of coastal city-states in East
Africa?
• What do historians know about the African kingdom of Great
Zimbabwe?
Section 2
African Kingdoms
Aksum and Ethiopia
In East Africa, the kingdom of Aksum began to grow in power around
the first century AD. Aksum lay south of Egypt and Kush and alongside
the Red Sea and was ideally situated to control Red Sea trade. At its
height Aksum was the most powerful kingdom in East Africa.
The Rise of Aksum
Geographic Advantages
• People of Aksum descended from
African farmers, as well as migrants
from Middle East
• Geographic location provided
advantages: well suited for
agriculture; Red Sea proximity ideal
for trade, access to Indian Ocean
• By AD 100, Aksum was wealthy
trading kingdom
• Two main cities: Aksum, capital;
Adulis, thriving Red Sea port
• Seaport attracted merchants from
African interior, Mediterranean
region, Egypt, Arabia, Persia, India
At Aksum’s markets, foreign traders exchanged luxury goods for African goods.
By about AD 300, Aksum had amassed great wealth from this trade.
Section 2
African Kingdoms
Aksum at Its Height
King Ezana
Military Victory
• Over time, Aksum became not
only wealthy trading kingdom,
but also strong military power
• Under Ezana’s rule, Aksum
attacked, defeated rival trading
kingdom of Kush, about 350
• Reached height under King
Ezana, whose reign began
about 320
• Defeat gave Aksum control of
trade in region
• Ezana held direct power only in
capital city; outside, collected
only tribute from local rulers
• Aksum soon became greatest
power in East Africa
Section 2
African Kingdoms
Culture of Aksum
•
•
•
•
•
African-Arab heritage, trade connections gave Aksum diverse culture
Merchants who came to Aksum brought new ideas as well as goods
Among new ideas, beliefs in 300s, Christianity
King Ezana converted, made Christianity official religion of Aksum
Recorded that he would “rule the people with righteousness and
justice…”
Language Preserved
Coins Minted
• Historians know about statement
because it was inscribed on stone
monument, called a stela
• Ge’ez one of first written languages
developed in Africa, basis of written
language used in Ethiopia today
• Stelae often inscribed with records
of important events
• Aksum also first African kingdom
south of Sahara to mint own coins
• Inscriptions provide examples of
Ge’ez, Aksum’s language
• Merchants found it practical to use
coins because of thriving trade
African Kingdoms
Section 2
The Decline of Aksum
Muslim Invaders
• 600s, Aksum began to decline, partly because of
arrival of Muslim invaders
– 600s, 700s invaders conquered parts of East, North Africa
– Aksum itself was never conquered
• Nearby areas became Muslim; Christian Aksum
isolated
– Muslims destroyed Aksum’s port city, Adulis, took over Red Sea
trade
– Cut off from trade, Aksum lost main source of wealth
– Aksum people eventually retreated inland, settled in what is now
northern Ethiopia
Section 2
African Kingdoms
Ethiopia
The people of Aksum sometimes referred to their kingdom as
Ethiopia, and this name came to apply to the region where they lived.
Ethiopia
• By 1100s, descendants of
Aksum established new
kingdom in Ethiopia
• 1150, kingdom grew under
Zagwe dynasty
• Most famous king, Lalibela
– Ruled during 1200s
– Known for building 11 stone
Christian churches
– Impressive works of
architecture; many still stand
Christianity in Ethiopia
• Lalibela churches also showed
continued importance of
Christianity in Ethiopia
• Provided unifying identity for
Ethiopian people
• Ethiopian Christianity
developed own unique
characteristics, including
elements of local African
customs
Section 2
African Kingdoms
Second Dynasty
Solomonid Dynasty
• 1270, second dynasty of Christian kings came to rule Ethiopia
• Kings claimed to be descendants of Hebrew King Solomon, Queen of Sheba
• Dynasty is also known as Solomonid dynasty; ruled Ethiopia for 700 years
Religious Wars
• During first centuries of Solomonid rule, kings engaged in religious wars
• Beta Israel Jews lived in Christian Ethiopia; kings fought, tried to make leave
• Effort mostly unsuccessful; Jews remained, although faced persecution
Kingdom of Adal
• Meanwhile, rival Muslim kingdom formed to east, near Horn of Africa
• Muslim Arab merchants settled in kingdom of Adal; fought Christian Ethiopia
• Muslim forces never conquered Ethiopia, which remained independent
African Kingdoms
Section 2
Section 2
African Kingdoms
Summarize
What religions had an effect upon Ethiopia
during this period?
Answer(s): Christianity, Islam, Judaism
Section 2
African Kingdoms
Coastal City States
South of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, a number of Muslim citystates developed along the East African coast. Like the Aksum, these
coastal city-states made their wealth from overseas trade.
Monsoon Winds
Trade Network
City-States
• Overseas traders
because of influence
of Indian Ocean
• Sailors used winds to
move around Indian
Ocean
• Arab traders called
East African coastal
region land of Zanj
• November to March,
monsoons blew
southwest toward
Africa
• Trade network linked
East Africa with
Persia, Arabia, India,
even Southeast Asia
• Used monsoon winds
to visit port towns
• April to October,
monsoons reversed,
blew toward India
• Market towns sprang
up along East African
coast
• By AD 1100, coastal
market towns were
thriving city-states:
Mogadishu, Kilwa,
Mombasa, Sofala
Section 2
African Kingdoms
Links to Trade
Coastal Trade
• Coastal city-states linked overseas merchants with traders from Africa’s
interior; merchants sold luxury items like glassware, porcelain, silk, cotton
• In exchange obtained raw materials, coconut oil, copper, skins, ivory, gold
Slave Trade
• Enslaved Africans also exported through coastal city-states to slave markets
in Arabia, Persia, India; then sent to regions across Asia
• Trade of slaves would later increase after Europeans began coming to Africa
Kilwa Trade
• Trade reached peak during 1300s, 1400s
• Kilwa had become wealthiest, most powerful city-state; located at
southernmost point on coast a ship could reach in single monsoon season
• All goods from south of Kilwa exported from Kilwa’s market, including gold
African Kingdoms
Section 2
Arab Influences
• Trade led to blending of African, Arab, Asian cultural influences
• Over time, many Muslim Arabs, Persians settled in coastal city-states
• Groups intermarried with local African population
• Arab influences began to shape local culture and ways of life
Blended Cultures
• Architecture featured African and Arab characteristics
• Local Africans adopted Arab words; two languages blended into new
language called Swahili; Swahili also came to refer to blended African-Arab
culture of East African coast
• Because many foreign traders were Muslim, Islam also gained hold along
coast; many African rulers adopted Islam; mosques appeared in cities, towns
Section 2
African Kingdoms
Analyze
How did trade shape life in the East African
coastal city-states?
Answer(s): created wealth, brought Arab
influences, contributed to the development of an
Arab-Bantu language called Swahili
Section 2
African Kingdoms
Great Zimbabwe
The growing wealth of Africa’s overseas trade stimulated developments in
Africa’s interior also. There, ancestors of the Shona people established a
kingdom called Great Zimbabwe around the 1100s. This kingdom was located
between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers in southeastern Africa.
Part of Trade Network
• Scholars think Great Zimbabwe
was part of thriving trade network
because of its location
• Lay along trade route linking
interior gold mines to city-states on
coast
Middleman Role
• Great Zimbabwe served as
middleman between gold miners,
ivory hunters in southern Africa,
traders on coast
• Middleman is person who buys
something from one person, sells to
another, making profit on sale
A number of archeological discoveries support this role for Great
Zimbabwe.
African Kingdoms
Section 2
Examples of Great Zimbabwe
Archaeological discoveries
• Glass beads from India
• Coin minted in Kilwa
Kingdom’s rulers likely taxed trade goods that passed
through their territory
• Through control of trade, Great Zimbabwe rose to
prosperity between 1200 and 1400, about same time as
Africa’s coastal city-states
Section 2
African Kingdoms
The Great Enclosure
Zimbabwe
• Shona word zimbabwe means
“stone houses”
• Today all that remains of Great
Zimbabwe are mainly stone
ruins
Construction of Enclosure
• Inner wall runs along part of
outer wall, forms narrow
passage about 180 feet long
• Stones well fitted, no mortar
needed in construction
Description of Remains
• Largest, most impressive is
structure called the Great
Enclosure
• Includes thick, circular outer
stone wall 35 feet high
Purpose of Enclosure
• Inside walls, 33-foot high stone
tower, soapstone bird figurines
• Historians not certain of
purpose, but think it might have
shown kingdom’s power
Section 2
African Kingdoms
The Mutapa Empire
Scholars think as many as 18,000 people lived in Great Zimbabwe at
its height. Yet sometime during the 1400s they abandoned the area.
Reasons
Power Shift
• People of Great Zimbabwe
raised cattle
• Oral tradition has Mutota as
founder of Mutapa Empire
• Possible that land became
overgrazed
• Became known as Mwene
Mutapa, “master pillager”
• Soil may have lost fertility
• Built his empire in the 1400s
• By the 1500s, when first
Europeans saw site, Great
Zimbabwe already in ruins
• By 1500, Mutapa Empire
controlled much of what is now
Zimbabwe
• Grew wealthy exporting gold,
controlling trade in large area
African Kingdoms
Section 2
Find the Main Idea
How do scholars think Great Zimbabwe
participated in trade?
Answer(s): location served as the role of
middleman, taxing trade goods that passed
through its territory