6th Grade UBD - Unit 8 - Growth of African Empires

Empires Rise- In West Africa, there were three great empires.
They gained power by controlling the gold and salt trades.
These three empires controlled the Sahel region of West Africa
for more than 900 years.

Trading Kingdoms- Other kingdoms developed in Africa based
on trade. Some traded in gold, others in rare goods such as
ivory and leopard skins. Most participated in the slave trade as
well.

West Africa was an important
supplier of gold during the
Middle Ages. Gold was also
traded internally among the
African Empires. Predict
how trade influenced the
politics and culture of African
Empires? ( 5 minutes)

Work with a
neighbor and
compare your
answer with theirs.
What things are
the same and what
things are
different? (3
minutes)

The oldest fossils of human ancestors have been
found in African sites ranging from Ethiopia to
South Africa. Stone tools made 2.5 million years ago
have also been found in Eastern Africa. Slowly, early
humans spread across Africa before migrating to
other continents. The humans that remained in
Africa became farmers and herders.

As the human
population in Africa
grew, societies became
more complex. People
began to trade with
other regions. The
income from trade
helped build kingdoms.

Gold was mined in the forests of West Africa. It was desired by
markets in North Africa and Europe.

Trade caravans crossed the Sahara to West Africa, carrying salt and
other goods. They returned to North Africa with gold.

The empire of Ghana rose in the 300s CE. It grew rich by controlling
the gold–salt trade. It was at the height of its power by the 800s
CE.

The empire of Songhai was the largest of the West African empires.
It was also the shortest-lived. It extended over most of the Sahel.

Three great African
empires grew and
flourished between about
800 and 1800.

Their strength was
founded on controlling
trade for the valuable
natural resources of salt
and gold.

Salt is needed to replenish
the natural salts lost
through perspiration, or
sweat, caused by the hot,
humid climate of Africa.

Salt can also be used to
preserve food, or keep it
from spoiling.

Salt mines, which
were an important
part of the trade and
economy of early
African empires, still
exist today in Africa.
Video- How It's Made Salt

Trade brought gold from
southern Africa to northern
Africa to trade for salt.

By taxing this trade and
benefiting from it directly,
Ghana became the first great
African empire, followed by
Mali and Songhai.
Reading Handout- Gold Mining
Key Term
Merchant- A
person who
provides materials,
products, or
services to a buyer,
usually in exchange
for money.
Key Term
Trade- The
exchange of
goods and
services by
sale or barter.
Key Term
Tax- A charge
against a citizen's
person or
property or
activity for the
support of
government.

During this time, traders
from the north brought
Islam to areas in West and
Southern Africa.

The Mali Empire embraced
Islam and built the great
Muslim cultural and
learning center of
Timbuktu.

At its largest, the
Songhai Empire
extended over an area
as large as modern
Europe and was
governed by a
provincial system.

Empires rose in West Africa. They did this
by taking control of trade routes between
gold and salt mines.

In many ways, these empires were more
developed than cultures in western
Europe at the time.

Trade with Europeans allowed some Africans to gain power over its
neighbors.

Merchants took advantage of the seasonal monsoon winds. They
used ships called dhows to travel long distances across the ocean.

The Swahili had much contact with Arab traders. Swahili culture
became a mixture of African and Arab culture.

The city of Great Zimbabwe controlled the gold trade between gold
mines in southern Africa and the city-states on Africa’s eastern
coast.
Reading Handout- Global Trade in Africa

Several smaller cultures
benefited from trade with
Europe and the Arabian
Peninsula, including KanemBornu, Benin, and Aksum.

Swahili traders carried
religion and language to areas
in central and southern Africa.
Key Term
Dhow- A type of
sailboat used in
the Indian
Ocean and Red
Sea trade. It is still
used today along the
eastern coast of
Africa.

The great African empires were
strongly influenced by the
introduction of Islam there around
1000.

The pilgrimage of Mansa Musa, the
great Muslim leader of the Mali
Empire, to Mecca showed the
countries of North Africa and the
Arabian Peninsula the empire’s great
wealth.
Video- Islam Comes to Timbuktu

Timbuktu, became a
center for Islamic culture
and education.

Later, the Songhai Empire
introduced a political
system of provinces and
individual rulers to manage
the large area under its
control.

The kingdoms of KanemBornu, Benin, and
Zimbabwe also grew
strong because of trade,
and their cultures were
greatly influenced by
foreign traders from other
areas of Africa, as well as
Europe and India.

Trade between
Portugal and Benin
resulted in exquisite
brass artwork and the
introduction of the
first guns into Africa.

Aksum on Africa’s east coast remained
Christian, while trading with many other
cultures and Swahili traders established citystates based on trade across the Indian Ocean
and incorporated many Arabian words into
their native language.

The Great Zimbabwe is a spectacular stone ruin
of a city made up of three parts.
 The Great Enclosure is the largest single ancient
structure in Africa south of the Sahara.
 The Hill Complex, begun in 900, is the oldest section.
 The Valley Ruins include remnants of earthen and
mud brick buildings.
Key Term
Great ZimbabweZimbabwe means “stone
houses.” Great
Zimbabwe refers to the
complex stone city that
became a center
of trade.
Video- Clues to a Culture
Reading Handout- The Great Zimbabwe

African empires often were built on trade. They
influenced and were influenced by their trading
partners.

These empires were part of a complex web of
trade.

Trade connected them with other civilizations
around the world.

What has been the
“muddiest” point so far in
this lesson? That is, what
topic remains the least
clear to you? (4 minutes)

Work with a
neighbor and
compare your
muddiest point with
theirs. Compare
what things are the
same and what
things are different?
(3 minutes)