Hayley Lowder, Madison Peace, Paul Evans, Ryan Petty
East Africa
Timeline:
1. Periods One and Two: Bantu migration.
2. Period Three: (8th century) Muslim traders settled in Mombasa.
3. 12th century: Swahili states went through a period of economic depression and
Kilwa became the most successful economic region in East Africa by the 13th
century. Mosques were built to demonstrate the power the Islam religion had
over East Africa.
4. 1200: the Swahili language developed.
5. Period Four: (14th century) homes that were previously made of wood began to
be built with stone and coral.
6. 1495: the Portuguese arrived and increased the trade system in Zanzibar.
7. Mid 17th century: French East India Trading Company bought slaves from
Zanzibar and traded them in Asia.
*The number of slaves continued to grow throughout the centuries as the increasing
number of plantations and labor needed in
colonized areas continued to grow*
Hayley Lowder, Madison Peace, Paul Evans, Ryan Petty
Spice
Themes
Period 1: -600 BCE
● S: Survived by means of
hunting and gathering lifestyles
(men would hunt, women would
raise children and crops). As areas
expanded and multiplied, social
and gender hierarchies became
more prominent. As far as social
classes stand, Pharaohs stood at the top, and under them were Vizier, Nobles, Scribes
and Soldiers, Craftsmen, and Farmers and Slaves.
●
P: Pharaohs were divine rulers chosen specially by the gods. They ruled over nobles,
priests, and other lower classes.
●
I: People migrated out of East Africa to Asia and other parts of Africa.
Hunting and Gathering was a main way to get food and resources, followed by
Agriculture.
●
C: Some found forms of deities related to environment, for example, sun or rain. Cave
paintings were one of the earliest forms of art, in these paintings, different depictions of
hunting and animals were seen. Agriculture became prevalent along with irrigation
techniques.
●
E: Farming techniques evolved for advancements in trade and production. In
AfroEurasia, pastoralism emerged and allowed for increase in domesticated animals.
Period 2: 600 BCE - 600 CE
● S: Gender inequality remained. While much of Asia and Europe transformed with new
religions, East Africa’s social structure kept Pharaohs in the picture (while including
merchants and other new social classes that grew with civilizations).
●
P: Empires were being created in the world around East Africa but it had no empires of
its own, instead they kept the pharaohs as rulers.
●
●
I: The Indian Ocean still played a large role in everyday life.
C: Tribal art was the main form of art. Pottery was a main form of tribal art along with
the ways that they dressed. Islam had not influenced Eastern Africa yet, so the religion
Hayley Lowder, Madison Peace, Paul Evans, Ryan Petty
was tribal based. Tribal religions were mainly based on the elements, for instance, the
sun, rain, or agriculture.
●
E: Indian sea trade routes connected Swahili states to northern African countries such
as Egypt, Baghdad, and Eastern Asia. Gunpowder helped bring power to empires in
Europe from Asia; economic problems related to farming and crop production resulted
when land was exploited.
Period 3: 600 CE - 1450 CE
● S: The introduction of Swahili (which was created when the Bantu language from the
NW mixed with the Arab language from the East) changed the lifestyles of people living
in East Africa. Gender inequality remained obvious, but relaxed some as women took on
a few more roles in society (such as storytelling).
●
P: Swahili City-States were established because islam pushed the east africans from
being nomadic tribes to nomadic states and they were all politically independent of one
another and was linked by language, religion, and trade.
●
I: East Africa borders the Indian Ocean, so the Indian Ocean Basin trade routes played a
large role in the East African culture in this period.
●
C: Islam became prevalent in East Africa through the growing trade routes in Africa,
along with the Indian Ocean. Swahili became the main language, which was a mix of the
Arabic, Persian, and Hindu languages, and was spread by the Bantu Migrations. Boats,
like the caravel, along with the compass and astrolabe were some technologies used for
water travel and trade. The arts started to be centered around Islamic culture, depicting
ideas and styles spread by the Islamic belief.
●
E: trade routes resulted in the trade of crops such as bananas and spread of pathogens
(black death arrived on the silk roads on the way to Europe). land and water routes
allowed trans-regional trade. Monsoon tradewinds affected merchants who traveled to
trade by sea and often damaged ships and goods.
Period 4: 1450 CE - 1750 CE
● S: Similar to the periods before the Early Modern Era, gender roles remained inequal.
Women were thought to be “dangerous to men if treated equally.” As Islam entered East
Africa, women continued to be dominated by men. Sex often determined gender roles
within society (workers with special skills were mostly men).
●
P: Still has swahili city-states and have not evolved into a kingdom or empire. Trading
on the indian ocean changed when islam arrived because of their influence
●
I: The Indian Ocean still was the main environmental impact on Eastern Africa, through
the forms of trans-continental trade along with inter-continental trade.
●
C: Islam was the main religion. Swahili was the main language spoken throughout all of
Eastern Africa. Nautical devices along with Cartography were the main advances in
technology. Innovations in trade boats like the caravel made trading more efficient. The
Hayley Lowder, Madison Peace, Paul Evans, Ryan Petty
arts were still heavily influenced by Islamic culture, mimicking the styles shown in other
parts of the world that were mainly Islamic.
●
E: Global circulation of goods was facilitated by European monarchies and allowed
markets in Afro-Eurasia to thrive through transoceanic shipping services. The arrival of
the Portuguese increased trade in East Africa.