Throughout the ages, Africa has been populated by a diverse array of peoples, whose cultural, ethnic, and sociological differences have been shaped by the continents varied landscape ( ). Known for being the three magnificent trading territories in West Africa. Ghana, Mali, and Songhay were three very closely associated, but separate African civilizations that prospered and dominated West Africa for more than 300 years.
Ancient Ghana was a rich and powerful empire. Despite the name Ancient Ghana is not related to the country we know today. The Ghana empire held power approximately between 830 and 1230 ( ). The empire arouse beside the Niger river, situated between gold and salt mines. Located in what we know now as the southeastern Mauritania,
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The empire was rich in gold and became a leading force in the trans-Saharan trade. The economy of Ancient Ghana received their wealth and power from the mines, the use of iron weapons, decimating neighboring villages, and farming along the river( ). The prosperity of the empire is mainly due to the role they played in the trans-Saharan trade, the empire traded with Muslim countries of the Middles east ( ). Gold and salt were the central bases of revenue, gold being extremely important to Ghana causing the empire to develop quickly. The trading activities that constituted the backbone of Ghana’s economy were the sale of gold, kola nuts, and ivory to cities along the Mediterranean, in exchange for salt ( ). The gold was in high demand but a small supply was available. Merchants and traders traveled long distances to trade with Ghana. Which allowed the empire to price their gold at the …show more content…
The king was extremely powerful, he was thought to possess divine powers. The solidity of the government and social-political stability of Ancient Ghana rested on the actions of the king. Whenever the people faced him they knelt and showered dust over their hands as a sign or complete respect. He was the head of his military with over 200,000 trained warriors. He had a council of ministers who aided him in all his decisions, but his say was absolute. No one could question the king. The council was made up of generals, judges, counselors, and governors. As Ancient Ghana prospered, the system became more complex. Lesser kings were assigned to the regions farther from the empire, and numerous rulers came into play. Although, the king still held total power over the
In Africa, there were achievements in the empires and their cities before the Europeans arrived and maintained control. In the Kingdom of Ghana they had characteristics of powerful nations today and made fortunes due to the gold and salt trade. In the city of Timbuktu they had great stories, and developed the center of Art. There are also many other things that Africa achieved in.
In West Africa, the savanna provided a long distance trade site before the use of Atlantic slave trade. Its surplus of gold makes Africa rich and rivaling with Europe's power
Africa accomplished great feats, but some of the most historical ones are from the trade throughout Africa, Political Status, and culture in Africa. Trade in Africa thrived in the Kingdom of Aksum, known as Ethiopia today, as African traders used their nautical skills to reach nearby lands to trade goods and ideas. The Kingdom of Aksum was located in a unique location where it thrived in multiple trade routes. This unique location of, “Aksum reached its height between 325 and 360 A.D.” (Doc 1).
Gold and salt mines surrounded Ghana and were kept a secret from the other countries who might want to get in on the great wealth of Ghana. Another reason Ghana had an opulent economy was because people loved books and would pay a great fortune to buy them. In Document 1 it talks about how the location of Ghana was important to the economy and in Document 4, people in Ghana lived on to do great tasks, because of the knowledge they got from all the books they bought. As seen in the map in document 1, it shows Ghana located directly in the middle of 12 gold and salt mines which they kept private so no one could steal their good fortune (Document 1). In the fourth document it reads,“Here are many doctors, judges, priests, and other learned men that are well maintained at the king's costs. Various manuscripts and written books are brought here . . . and sold for more money than other merchandise” (Document 4). This is helpful because they used the mines to trade with people who did not have the opportunity to collect gold and salt, but needed it. The salt is used to keep food fresh in warmer areas, and the gold is used for trading. They also highly appreciated books and would pay a substantial of money to get them. Books started to even become more highly priced than items like merchandise. The location of Ghana contributed greatly to the rich and wealthy atmosphere of Ghana as well as
The histories of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai are not well documented. Much of what we know is a mixture of legend, stories and secondhand accounts. North Africa has small coastal areas, some savanna areas, but it is mostly made up of the sahara desert. It is a very dry and hot region. West Africa has some desert areas, wet and dry grasslands, small rainforest, and long rivers, like the Niger River. It has some vegetation areas, but it also has some dry and hot areas. According to legend, Ghana started when a foreigner named Dhinga had to kill a goblin, and marry the goblins pretty daughters. Their offspring became ancestors of the ruling Soninke clans. After he died, his son Dyabe defeated his brother and founded the empire of Ghana somewhere
How did the polity of Ancient Ghana arise? How did Ghana maintain its strength and what were some of the challenges? The Wagadou Empire was a monarchy, and the king was regarded by the people to be a semi-divine figure who kept order and justice. Ghana was not rich in natural resources as it was located along a major trade route between ivory and gold producing areas and salt miners in the Sahara. Merchants were lured into Ghana by the wealth of gold and prosperity helped the capital, Kumbi Saleh, to be a center of trade. The country will eventually become a prosperous entrepôt. Ancient Ghana derived power and wealth from gold and transportation of camels during the Sub-Saharan trade to increase the quantity of goods that were transported. The traditional Ghanan religions and Islam spread
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.
In Africa there were three great empires, first the Ghana Empire who domesticated camels and carved trade routes all across the Sahara then
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a story of lust that takes place over four days. Within this time, Romeo meats Juliet, who kisses him with in the first hour. Within the four days, they merry, are separated due to their families fighting, and both die as a result of the separation, and both of them not knowing what exactly has happened to the other. Shakespeare uses the main characters of “Romeo and Juliet” who are Romeo and Juliet, to show the theme of love, which is that love must be build over time, and not be with someone that you just met. This is shown by conflicts that arise for both Romeo, and Juliet.
The relationship between the geography of West Africa and the development of the Kingdom of Ghana go hand in hand. It was a great place for civilization because it flourished over time. The Kingdom of Ghana’s development was helped because of trade and wealth.
Some have called the Kingdom of Ghana the "land of gold, " an exceptional description since it was flourishing with gold. Historians generally give the kingdom of Ghana the dates 9th to the 13th century CE. The gold trade played a major role in the development of Ghana. Gold was traded for salt that came down from the Sahara desert. Shortly after, the use
According to The Ghana empire by U.C Davis Social Science in the year 2014 it states “ Mali was one of three medieval kingdoms that ruled over West Africa. The first empire was Ghana, which was ruled by a king from the Soninke people” and “Trade with the Arabs did not create the Ghana empire, but it certainly made the rulers and merchants of Ghana much richer”.These quotes show that Ghana was one of the strongest and wealthy kingdoms and Mali was one of those strong,wealthy kingdoms and a cultural exchange site.This proves that Mali was
At their start, they were attacked by the British, they gave them a good sum of gold, even though it was against their will. Throughout their rule, they took over much unclaimed land and conquered many small cities around them. They were attacked several times by other places that wanted their land. They generally won and get the attackers as slaves. The Ashanti were one of the biggest exporters of slaves to several places, affecting them all. The Ashanti, though not very powerful, is still in existence. It is a sub city in Ghana and provides over 90% of Ghana's gold. Ghana is a large gold supplier to Italy. So in ways, the Ashanti empire is still plays a decent part in today's society.
Archaeologists know from ruins that Mali has been populated for about 50,000 years. During ancient times, part of the Sahara was a fertile grassland, and farming was introduced to this land in 5000 BCE. The earliest traceable civilization in Mali is the Ghana Empire, which began in 300 BCE (Baxter 1). Lasting until the thirteenth century A.D., the Ghana Empire ruled most of northwestern Africa. Ghana, defined as leading or first, controlled from the Niger basin to the Atlantic until its collapse and the establishment of the Mali Empire in the thirteenth century (African History: An Illustrated Handbook 1).
Then you have West Africa having seven empires rising up in one region. . Takur (ca.800-1285 A.D.), Ghana (700-1200 A.D.), Mali (1237-1450 A.D.), Songhai (1460-1591 A.D.), and Kanem-Bornu (1348-1890). The Asante Empire (ca.1670-1900 A.D.), Yoruba Kingdoms (ca.1100-1830), Benin (ca. 1440-1900) and Mossi (1200-1900 A.D.). Even though not at the same time, the fact that it was able to unify its people so quickly is remarkable. Being able to read about so many achievements is astonishing. And it’s not just one area of Africa, but all over. Now when some say I come from a line of African royalty, they might actually be right. Because it doesn’t matter from which part you claim there is