EARLY AFRICAN CIVILIZATIONS
SECTION 2: THE EMPIRE OF GHANA
GHANA CONTROLS TRADE
 Soninke – one of the earliest people in West Africa
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Lived in small groups and farmed the land along the Niger River
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Banded together for protection – beginning of Ghana
 Learned how to work with iron and how to use iron tools for farming
 Because Ghana’s farmers and herders could produce plenty of food, their population increased
 Lies between the Sahara (north) and deep forests (south)
 The regions tow main resources: gold and salt
 Followed silent barter – process in which people exchange goods without contacting each other directly
 As trade in gold and salt increased, Ghana’s rulers gained power
 Took control of trade from North African merchants
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Additional goods were added to the trade items: wheat from the north, and sheep, cattle, and honey from the south
GHANA BUILDS AN EMPIRE
 Nearly all trade between northern and southern Africa passed through Ghana
 Ghana’s army kept trade routes safe
 Every trader who entered Ghana had to pay a special tax on the goods he carried
 Each trader had to pay another tax on the goods he took with him when he left
 The people of Ghana had to pay taxes
 Forced small neighboring tribes to pay tribute
 The rulers of Ghana banned everyone else in Ghana from owning gold nuggets
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Common people could only own gold dust, which they used as money
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This ensured that the king was richer than his subjects
 Part of Ghana’s wealth went to support its powerful army
 To keep order, Ghana kings allowed conquered rulers to retain much of their power
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These local rulers acted as governors of their territories, answering only to the king
 The empire reached it peak under Tunka Manin
GHANA’S DECLINE
 Three major factors contributed to the empire’s collapse
 Invasion
 Almoravids – group of North African Muslims, attacked Ghana
 Fought for 14 years
 They defeated Ghana, cutting off many trade routes and formed new trading partnerships with Muslim leaders
 Overgrazing
 Almoravids brought herds of animals
 These animals ate all the grass in many pastures, leaving soil exposed to hot desert wind, leaving the soil worthless to
farm
 Internal Rebellion
 The people of a country Ghana had conquered rose up in rebellion
 Within a few years these rebels had taken over the entire empire of Ghana
 Eventually, these rebels could not maintain order, were attacked and defeated, and the empire fell apart