A caravan crossing the Sahara Desert

At a time when Europe was experiencing the "dark ages," people living in Africa were flourishing. During the medieval period, there was a lot of development in Africa, including Ghana, Mali, and Sohghai in West Africa, Axum in East Africa, and Zimbabwe in southeastern Africa. In addition, trade with other parts of the Eastern Hemisphere brought African civilizations economic, cultural, and religious opportunities. In this topic, you will explore African kingdoms.

Essential Questions

• What characterized the civilizations that developed in Sub-Saharan East and West Africa during the medieval period?
• How did trade influence the development of African civilizations?

 

Warm-Up

Do you want strawberries in February? No problem! There is a farmer in South America who will sell them to you. You live in a world where, given enough money, you can buy almost anything from almost anywhere. Take a moment to look around you. Locate a tag or sticker on five items that indicates where each item was made. For example, examine your favorite clothing, electronics, video games, books, and other possessions. Once you have found this information, make a list of where each item was created.

If you had lived before 1500 A.D. (C.E.), you likely would not have owned nearly as many goods from quite so far away as you do now; but even before this time, some of the first major trading networks had formed. How do you think this affected what people wore and ate, and the types of music they listened to? How do you think trade changed people's lives?