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Chapter 8 Study Guide
World History AP
Chapter 8 Summary
The second largest continent, Africa, served as a cradle for the early history of
mankind. Hominids first resided here, and farming began as early as twelve thousand
years ago. The great ancient Egyptian civilization flourished along the banks of the Nile
but was also influenced by cultures residing farther south. After Egyptian civilization
waned, other sophisticated civilizations developed throughout the continent. In the west,
trading states fed the caravan trade across the Sahara Desert. The kingdoms of Axum and
Kush, to the south of Egypt, developed trading empires, while along the east coast,
Africans delved into the commerce of the Indian Ocean. States also sprang to life in
southern and central Africa, particularly with the development of Iron Age farming. The
arrival of the Europeans in the fifteenth century would change Africa drastically, while
opening the continent to more trade.
Chapter 8 Outline
The Land
Emergence of Civilization
Kush
Axum, Son of Saba
Sahara and Its Environs
East Africa
Southern Africa
Coming of Islam
African Religious Beliefs Before Islam
Arabs in North Africa
Kingdom of Ethiopia: A Christian Island in a Muslim Sea
East Africa: Land of Zanj
States of West Africa
Ghana
Mali
States and Stateless Societies in Southern Africa
Zimbabwe
African Society
Urban Life
Village Life
Role of Women
Slavery
African Culture
Painting and Sculpture
Music
Architecture
Literature
Conclusion
World History AP: Chapter 8
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Terms and Persons to Know
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diverse geographical zones
Kush or Nubia
Egypt
Meroë
Axum
Coptic Christianity
Ethiopia
Sahara
savannahs
dessication
trans-Sahara trade
Berbers
iron
Nok
Bantu-speaking peoples
Indian Ocean trade
Malay
Khoisan-speaking peoples
Arab conquest of Africa
creator god
ancestors
Cairo
Byzantine empire
Al Maghrib
Axum decline
commercial centers
"coast of Zanj"
Kilwa
Swahili
Gao
Ghana
gold
World History AP: Chapter 8
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trade
kings of Ghana
Mali
Timbuktu
mansa
Mansa Musa
stateless societies
Great Zimbabwe
San
villages
clans
kingship
lineage groups
"big man"
role of women
matrilineal
Ibn Battuta
slavery
"art:" religious vs. aesthetic purpose
rock paintings
carving and sculpture
"talking drum"
"call and response"
architecture
pyramids
stelae
rock churches
use of stone
literature
oral traditions
bards
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Mapwork
Map 8.1. Ancient Africa
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In what region of the continent did hominids first appear?
What influence did the kingdom of Saba (Sabaea on this map) have on Axum?
Why was iron such an important commodity? What were its uses in Africa, and when and how did it
arrive? To which societies did it give a decisive military advantage?
Locate and briefly describe these diverse geographical zones on the continent: desert, grassland,
tropical jungles, savannah. Do your descriptions fit the pattern of Stone Age agriculture indicated
here?
Locate and briefly explain the importance of these waters: the Red Sea, the Nile, Congo River,
Zambezi River.
Map 8.2. Ancient Ethiopia and Nubia
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By what process did Ethiopia become a Christian Kingdom? What is "Coptic" Christianity?
What was the ancient name of Ethiopia? By what other name was Nubia known?
Why would Ethiopia later be termed "a Christian Island in a Muslim sea?"
Why were relations between Ethiopia and Nubia competitive?
Map 8.3. Trans-Saharan Trade Routes
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Why was trans-Saharan trade so crucial to the cultural development of Africa? What goods were
transported? What societies participated?
Map 8.4. The Emergence of States in Africa
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Concerning the West African kingdoms, what economic structures and principles of kingship
supported these societies?
Where are the Swahili cultures located on this map? What were the salient characteristics of these
states?
How did Kongo influence early stereotypes about the whole of Africa?
Datework
Chronology: Early Africa
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Although Egypt is located on the African continent, what historical factors place it in Chapter One
with the first Mesopotamian empires? What influence did Egypt have on African peoples to the south
and to the west?
Outline the role of the Berbers in African history. What is their role in the development of trade? In
the adoption of Islam?
What distinguishes the Bantu from other peoples in East Africa? Who are the Malays? Who built the
Great Zimbabwe, and what was its purpose?
Chapter Timeline: From the First Agricultural Settlements to the Kingdom of Zimbabwe
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What was the Saharan region like in the era previous to its dessication? What evidence demonstrates
today that the region was once fertile? Where is this evidence located on Map 8.1 (Ancient Africa)?
Why would the trans-Saharan trade routes become an important alternative to the Mediterranean sea
routes for merchants transporting goods between the Far or Middle East and Europe?
Who were the Kushites? What was their relationship with Egypt?
What were the first states to arise in West Africa?
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Primary Sources
Primary Sources on Africa:
The Slave Trade in Ancient Africa: Sale of a Nubian Slave Girl
 Within the language of the contract, what foreign influences are there revealed?
 What does the document reveal about the institution of slavery?
Beyond the Pillars of Hercules: Herodotus, History of the Persian Wars
 Why does Herodotus reproduce this account when he does not believe it himself? Why are
we indebted to him for doing so?
 Trace the journey of these Phoenicians on Map 8.1. Why did this journey take two years?
The Coast of Zanj: Al-Mas'udi in East Africa
 Why does Al-Mas'udi admire the people of Zanj?
 What signs do you see in his text that the author is writing for an upper-class Muslim
audience? How does this influence what he reports?
A Description of a Ghanaian Capital: Al-Bakri's Description of Ghana
 Why does al-Bakri refer to the religious images of the royal Ghanaian kings as "idols"?
 What evidence does the author give that followers of traditional religion and Islam lived
peacefully together? What does the author call the traditional religion? Why?
 How did accounts like this lead outsiders to refer to the West African kingdoms collectively
as "The Gold Coast"?
Women and Islam in North Africa: Leo Africanus, The History and Description of Africa
 What is Leo Africanus describing when he refers to "certain masks"? What was their
purpose?
 Where was this custom of female dress adopted in Africa? What evidence do you see here for
the blending of traditional custom with outside influences?
A Chinese View of Africa: Chau Ju-kua on East Africa
 What are the "dead fish" Chau Ju-kua describes? How do you know?
 What particular practices of the "sorcerers" have been reported to this Chinese author? Who
were his informants? Why would he learn especially of the sorcerers illegal "charms" over
ships?
 Why would a thirteenth-century Chinese scholar be especially interested in the eastern coast
of Africa as he compiled a treatise on geography? To what uses might his geography be put?
A West African Oral Tradition: The Epic of Son-Jara
 Why were bards so important in West African culture?
 How did they support with their craft the legitimacy of West African kings?
Internet Exploration
To learn more about the Berbers, visit
http://i-cias.com/e.o/berbers.htm
To learn more about the Axum civilization, visit
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/CIVAFRCA/AXUM.HTM
To visit the Smithsonian museum of African art, visit
http://www.nmafa.si.edu/
To read about Bantu languages and where they are spoken, visit
http://www.bantu.ovh.org/bantu_intro_en.html
World History AP: Chapter 8