Informational Text for African Civ. Prompt
Unit 3/African Civilizations
Mrs. Robinson/World History
Name: ______________
Date: _____________
The earliest African civilizations south of the Sahara desert were in West Africa. These
civilizations developed at a time when most of Europe was experiencing the Dark Age, after the
fall of the Western half of the Roman Empire around 476 A.D. the people of West Africa could
already smelt iron ore to make tools for warfare and agriculture. Iron farming tools made
agricultural methods far more efficient. This led to improvements in agriculture and greater
productivity of the land, as prosperity grew the population expanded giving rise to larger towns.
Broad rivers linked people in these larger towns by way of canoe travel. These rivers also
maintained the fertility of the soil all year round.
At the same time kingdoms were developing in this region. One of the earliest kingdoms to
emerge here was ancient Ghana to the far West. The economy of Ghana was based on iron and
gold mining along with agriculture. Products were traded with Berber societies north of the
Sahara desert. At the same time (1230-1300) the Mali kingdom of the Mande people, to the east
of Ghana, was growing and increasing its control of trade in the region. This brought the two
kingdoms into conflict. Finally, the Ghana kingdom was taken over by the Mali kingdom. The Mali
kingdom was able to establish its influence with ease due to the surrounding savannah terrain.
This enabled the easy and speedy dispatch of soldiers across the region to conquer neighbours.
The adoption of the Islamic faith by the Mali people in about the 1500s during the rule of Kankan
Musa, created a point of unity for this kingdom.
Quarrels over who should succeed the throne and rebellion by the Fulani people in Senegambia
and the Songhai people in Gao led to the collapse of the Mali kingdom in the 16th century.
Songhai became independent of Mali, and rivalled it as the leading power in West Africa.
Source: Songhai, African Empire, 15-16th Century, “Overview, West Africa and the rise of the Songhai Empire,” South
African History Online, http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/songhai-african-empire-15-16th-century
Informational Text for African Civ. Prompt
Unit 3/African Civilizations
Mrs. Robinson/World History
Name: ______________
Date: _____________
Some West Africans lived in towns and larger villages. They were involved in trading and other
commerce. However, most of the people who lived in West Africa lived on small family farms in
small villages. Most of the people in a village were part of the same family. So you would find
brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, and other relations all living in the
same general area. One West African proverb says, “Kings may come and go, but the family
endures.”
Over time, some West African villages developed into large towns such as Koumbi, the capital of
the kingdom of Ghana.
At the center of Koumbi and other trading towns was the marketplace. Traders could find gold
and slaves from the south, salt from the Sahara desert, and horses, cloth, swords, and books
from North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
The kingdom of Ghana was ideally located to benefit from the trade of gold and salt because it
was between the salt (which came from the north) and the gold (which came from the south).
Trading routes influenced the development of towns and kingdoms and connected them in a
network of regional commerce. In other words, all the towns in a particular area (or “region”)
were tied together because of how they were involved in trade (or “commerce”) with one
another. They depended on each other to keep trade strong. They wanted to keep the trade
routes in the region safe so merchants would not be afraid to travel there.
In time, rich trading centers came under the control of powerful leaders who established rich
and powerful states. These leaders wanted to have even more power and more riches. They
gathered large armies, made treaties with other groups, made laws, decided punishments, and
governed larger and larger areas. Eventually, some of these leaders ruled over large areas of
West Africa that are called kingdoms or states. Many of these West African states rose to power
and later lost power. Three of the most famous West African states are the kingdoms of Ghana,
Mali, and Songhai.
Source: 2005, Ballard & Tighe, Publishers, a division of Educational IDEAS, Inc. From Explore World History.
Informational Text for African Civ. Prompt
Unit 3/African Civilizations
Mrs. Robinson/World History
Name: ______________
Date: _____________