1. Were you surprised by anything you read in the sources on the African, medieval kingdom of Mali? I was surprised by how big the Mali Empire was, and how many people lived in the land (roughly size of western Europe, 50 million people). I was also surprised by how rich Mansa Musa was- so rich that 500 slaves could go before him caring golden staffs that were four pounds!
2. As the people of medical West Africa did not generally record information through their own written language, how do you think historians know so much about Mali? A lot of the information known about the Mali Empire probably came from foreigners that visited a few of over 400 cities in the Mali Empire. Since Mansa Musa built large-scale projects, like palaces in Timbuktu and Gao, architectural scholars and enthusiasts most likely visited them, and left detailed records. Simerly, Musa also promoted education, as he built a university. Because of this, foreigners would have come to the Mali Empire to study. During their stay, the students would also have written about the empire. Finally, traders would have also have helped historians learn about the Mali Empire. By recording what items were traded, and how much of each item was traded, historians would know about the wealth of Mali.
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Based on the sources you have read thus far, what role does trade appear to play in cultural and economic progress in the civilizations you encountered in these readings and perhaps in those you studied in the 8th grade? In most cases, trade provides wealth to the region, which in turn stabilizes and fortifies it. With the security the region has, the people start to flourish, and arts, learning and technology grow. For example, when trade started to flourish in Europe, towns were established, new farming techniques were discovered and people could start to specialize in jobs other than farming. Also Venice, Marco Polo’s hometown, was established, and also flourished, because of
“No nation was ever ruined by trade.” This quote was said by Benjamin Franklin in the late 1700s. These words are so simple, and it seems like anyone could have said them. However, this quote has a bigger meaning in that throughout world history, trade has been so important to so many countries and it has led to many empires successes. It has occurred for a very long time, and it has progressed dramatically. Trade has changed a lot, but some parts of trade stayed the same over a long periods of time. In the era between 300 CE and 1450 CE, trade between Eurasia and Africa changed because the empires and kingdoms in power were replaced and their control over trade differed;
Have you ever wondered why and how the Empire of Mali became a site of cultural exchange? Well, this essay is going to talk about how and why Mali became something as big as a site of cultural exchange. One reason why Mali became a site of cultural exchange was because of all of the products and goods that it had, including gold and trade. Another reason why Mali became a site of cultural exchange was because of all of the sites and cities that it had, drawing people to it. Let’s get into more detail about the Empire of Mali, and see how these things made it a site of cultural exchange!
Africans achieved a lot before the Europeans arrived. Aksum, Ghana, and Mali are examples of well supported empires. In Aksum they developed a trade route, in Ghana they had advanced political structures, and in Mali there is evidence of a wonderful society. Trade and wealth were important parts for all three of the empires. The achievements of the people of Africa before the arrival of the Europeans included an extensive trade network, an abundance of wealth, and a highly sophisticated political structure.
In Basil Davidson’s video “Different but Equal,” he outlines the European perception of Africa upon their discovery of the continent. Claims that the Europeans were making about African culture, however, were far fetched and did not depict Africa in a positive manner. History according to pre-European Africa was rich and diverse, but once Europeans saw for themselves how different their continent was from Africa, they began to make up their own version of African history.
In the video documentary, “Africa, Voyage of Discovery: Different but Equal,” Dr. Basil Davidson generates many major arguments that favor the ancient and present culture and civilization of Africa. He challenges people who envision Africa to be inferior to other societies, or believe that the people of Africa are uncivilized and uneducated. He examined a variety of past documents who were written by Western explorers, who knew little to nothing about Africa, and formed their degrading opinions. The Westerners opinions, or their ‘declaration of facts’ were discriminating stereotypes which altered people’s perception of Africa. Africa was then forced to be inferior to those of Western Europe.
The changes that took place regarding trade between 300-1450 impact other parts of history. One effect of the occurrence of trade in this region was the
People of the early African kingdoms were able to create successful trade routes with Europe and Asia, become very wealthy from conquering and gaining land, and were able to have a strong central government. All of this was done before the Europeans had reached Africa. Trade flourished on the East African coast, especially when trading was established with India and Arabia. African kingdoms were prosperous, because of their success with not only trading but also with their ability to conquer land. A governmental structure is key to allowing any kingdom to thrive, and the African people were able to achieve this.
One achievement made by western african empires in economics were their trading. This allowed people from other tribes to trade with them so that they could make money or gain resources. One political achievement that these empires had was that all of these civilizations had remarkable rulers. Mali had Mansa Musa, Ghana had Kaya Maghan, and Songhai had Sunni Ali. Also, people never tried to rebel against these rulers. One cultural achievement these empires had is that they were able to convert to Islam. Mali, songhai, and Ghana were able to convert their religion to Islam without any major disputes between the people.
Indeed, it was important for Malidoma to establish the importance of the African view of accepting the incomprehensible because much of the events he discusses in the latter part of the story concerning his grandfather and his initiation do seem farfetched. For example, one of the techniques his
To answer the questions in Primary source assignment 4, I will look at the Benin plaque, the oba with Europeans, and compare and contrast it to art encountered in primary source assignment 2. I will then consider what role isolationism played in relationships between Portugal and communities in the East and West African coasts. Finally, I will look to answer the question on who discovered whom, and conclude by looking at the long term effects of Portuguese contact with Africa.
The economy has been essential for empires and kingdoms throughout the human history. It was the main reason that caused the appearance of nobility and political organization after the specialization occurred just in the beginning of the Neolithic revolution. Later on, during the mid-bronze age, Governments were mostly not able to sufficiently feed their needs as all the societies were used to acquire some of their demands using trade. Even if they were able to, the greed to possess more luxurious and exotic goods had always kept the path open for nations to trade. Late Bronze Age was a period of mass trade between superpowers, as most of them were well fed and introduced to none local foods.
How did trades became a huge factor to the postclassical era. Trades were popular in different regions throughout the globe but major trades were happening in Eurasia, (1000-1500) “From the earliest time of Eurasia trading became extremely popular, like the trading patterns that were used like the silk road for many luxuries, good that were considered high value at its time, and where some of the bigger items or commodities that were heavy to travel with were shipped to sail in the sea of the Indian ocean.” – Journal 15 the trades era wasn’t the safest time either, they were many incidents where different states would try to conquest another to build trade advantage in the thirteenth century the Mongols were one of the perpetrator to take over cities for trade
Trade, travel, and exploration are the keys of The Silk Trade Route, these characteristics played an important part in western civilization. In today's society mostly all cities and countries have developed a currency, this form of currency is also known as trade. For many centuries trade had played a big role in how the world obtained the things that they needed, to this day we use trade to obtain what we need whether it is food, clothing, or shelter. From mid-Asia to Roman territory, trade, travel, and exploration were the many ways cultures were combined with one another. Unlike what its name implies the Silk Road was utilized for far more than just trading silk, this route was the way many cultures were allowed to trade goods and ideas
Trade has been defined by the Britannica Encyclopedia as the business of buying and selling goods/services. It has developed along with society, and was important in the ancient world. In the ancient world, trade occurred between North Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and parts of Europe. Trade continued in the Byzantine empire and among the Muslim provinces during the Middle Ages.
The video of this week “Kingdoms of Africa West Africa” is a documentary in which British art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of kingdoms of West Africa. During the video, I had the opportunity to learn that The African continent is home to nearly a billion people. It has an incredible diversity of communities and cultures. Most importantly I learned that when in the 16th century bronze casts were discovered in the kingdom of Benin in 1897, many could not believe Africans had made them because they believe West Africa lacked the technical development required making them. In the documentary Dr Casely-Hayford travels to present-day Nigeria and Mali in search of the truth, exploring what the bronzes mean, how