Comparing+and+contrasting+the+major+states+and+civilizations+of+East,+South,+and+West+Africa+in+terms+of+environmental,+economic,+religious,+political,+and+social+structures

Kingdoms of West Africa

Ghana: The Land of Gold About A.D. 800, the ancient West African kingdom of Ghana became a center of trade. From there, the king controlled the salt and gold trade.

**Cities of Splendor** The capital of Ghana was Kumbi Saleh, which was made up of two separate walled towns some six miles apart. The king administered justice and other government activities, and kept the peace.

The Kingdom of Mali

**Mansa Musa Rules Mali** About 1235, Sundiata established the empire of Mali. He gained control of trade routes, the gold mining regions, and the salt supplies of Taghaza. Mansa Musa, Mali’s greatest ruler, came to power about 1312. He fostered justice and religious freedom.

A New Empire in Songhai

**Extending the Empire** After Mali weakened, another kingdom, Songhai, developed in West Africa. After 1492, Songhai’s emperor Askia Muhammad established a Muslim dynasty, expanded the territory, and improved the government. He strengthened ties to other Muslim states and built mosques and schools. However, internal conflicts weakened the empire, which was conquered by the sultan of Morocco around 1591.

Smaller Societies of West Africa

**The Forest Kingdom of Benin** Smaller societies, such as Benin, also flourished in the region from A.D. 500 to 1500. In the rain forests of the Guinea coast in the 1300s, the people of Benin built farming villages. They also traded pepper, ivory, and slaves to neighbors.

**Walled City-States of the Hausa** The Hausa built clay-walled cities. These cities grew into commercial centers, where artisans produced goods, and merchants traded with Arabs. Many Hausa rulers were women.

Kingdoms and Trading States of East Africa  East African City-States

**Trading Centers Flourish** Shortly after Axum declined, Muslim communities along the East African coast had been established by Persian and Arab traders. By the 600s, ships frequently took advantage of monsoon winds so they could sail to India and back. By trading goods with Southeast Asia, China, and Africa, East African cities grew wealthy. The cities were independent and relations among them were generally friendly, even though they competed for power.

**Trade Shapes Swahili** By the 1000s, Swahili formed, it incorporated unique architecture along with a new culture and language. From Asia and the Middle East, traders from there started to settle for good in prospering trading cities like Kilwa.

As more settlers came in, the local East African culture incorporated cultural elements from these new residents. Their language was Bantu-based and had some Arabic writing and Arabic words.

The Stone Houses of Great Zimbabwe

**Inland Capital of Trade** Between 900 and 1500, the capital of a great inland Zimbabwe empire, Great Zimbabwe, was built by a series of Bantu-speaking peoples, which around 1300, reached its height. Great Zimbabwe was part of a trade network that stretched across the Indian Ocean. The city composed of great stone buildings, and the people there traded goods across the Indian Ocean and minded gold.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">**Zimbabwe Falls to Ruins** The empire of Zimbabwe started to decline by the 1500s due to civil war, dwindling trade, and population had grown too great. Later on, Portuguese traders attempted to locate the region’s source of gold, but failed to do so.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Societies in Medieval Africa

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Family Patterns In small societies in medieval Africa, the nuclear family, or one set of parents and their children, lived and worked together. In other societies, the family included several generations.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">**Kinship** Patrilineal families passed inheritances through the father’s side of the family, while matrilineal families passed property down throughthe mother’s side. Each family belonged to a lineage,a group of households with a common ancestor, and a clan included several lineages descended from a common ancestor.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Political Patterns Political patterns depended on the size and culture of a community.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">**Power Sharing** In small societies, political power was often shared among a number of people. Village decisions were often made by consensus, or general agreement, after open discussions. Because elders had experience, their opinions usually carried the greatest weight. Women sometimes took strong roles in the marketplace or as peacemakers. Large empires usually required villages to obey decisions made by distant rulers and their courts.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">**Limited Power** Another form of government that developed grouped many villages into districts and provinces governed by the king’s ofﬁcials. Around A.D. 1500, Kongo, a kingdom in central Africa, governed in this way. The king had limited powers. Villagers were governed by appointed royal ofﬁcials, but each village had its own chief.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Traditions in Art and Literature The tradition of African arts includes the Egyptian pyramids, built 4,000 years ago.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">**Creative Arts** Much art served decorative, religious, or ceremonial purposes, such as cloths, pottery, and jewelry. Objects often had symbolic meanings, such as the bright blue-and-gold kente cloth of West Africa, which was reserved for the wealthy and powerful.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">**Literature** Medieval written histories from Africa provide records of laws, religion, and society. Arabic provided a common written language in Muslim areas, and Muslim scholars gathered in important cities. In West Africa, griots, or professional storytellers, kept traditions alive by reciting ancient stories and histories. Folktales and other stories encouraged a sense of community and common values.