Indo European Societies

Many ancient civilizations of this world started with people doing simple tasks in life. Early civilizations often hunted and farmed for food. Over time, society became accustomed to these simple things and started to interact, by several means. Interaction is so important in the development of human societies, since it brings about developments and innovations within several cultures of society.

In the empire Ghana, they worked with iron, and traded it for gold and salt. Because of trading iron for salt and gold, the empire prospered. The empire of Mali prospered from trade and that was one of their key accomplishments. In Songhai, a key accomplishment was that it was the largest empire of West Africa. You can infer that because Songhai was the largest empire, trade was very important to Songhai.

Africa’s Discovery of Europe, written by David Northrup and much as its name implies, is a monograph detailing Sub-Saharan Africa, starting from 1450 to 1850. This broad timespread starts just before Columbus sailed the ocean blue and ends just beyond the Industrial Revolution. Originally published in 2002, Northrup intended for readers to see Europe from a different perspective; from the lense of African people. The title, Africa’s Discovery of Europe, is interesting within itself. In many cases, majority of people believe it was Europe that opened up the world and conquered the Americas and discovered all this new land, and a sliver of that is true, so many countries surrounding Europe were already major, active players in the modernizing world already. In this case, as Europe was discovering Africa, Africa was also discovering Europe. It switches the mind of the reader from a Eurocentric role to an African one. Northrup discusses how contact was not one-sided, and depicts accurate descriptions of African interactions amongst other Africans and Europeans. Northrup shows the reader that African people were discovering Europe very actively, not passively; African people physically go to European countries and have first-hand experiences with European people and lifestyles.

In the Late fourth millennium BCE, settled people started to domesticate horses and in Northern Europe, horses were a type of food source (Tignor et al, 2008). Another great innovation, is the use of iron, which was used for chariots, and this use of iron would revolutionized human wars (Tignor et al, 2008). Also, the population adopted many beliefs and customs of the different cultures. People who migrated formed long distance trade routes, which linked the differing

The development of West Africa illustrates the advancements made in several different ways. Based on document #6, the city of Timbuktu acquired an advanced commercial center. Merchants sold a large quantity of corn, cattle, milk, and other dairy products. The city also consisted of knowledgeable artisans, including doctors, judges, and priests. It was a great Muslim educational center with more than 180 schools. The largest school taught more than 25,000 students! Timbuktu was a significant cultural and economic center with a wealthy population. The advancements made by this city show that the people of West Africa were educated, resourceful, and skilled in specific fields. Another accomplishment attained by West Africa was the development of griots. Based on document #2, a griot recounted history and “harbored secrets many

At first Native Americans, Europeans and Africans were separated by the vast oceans in between their continents, but as technologies and trade in Europe advanced the three region’s worlds collided. There were various similarities and differences in policy, economy and religion amongst the three regions but alas, contact between these empires reaped inevitable change among all these for the better or worse.

During the early years of the Paleo-Indian tribes, they exploited a wide variety of exotic plants and animals. Many of these animals were from the Ice Age. This research paper will discuss what kinds of tools they used for growing crops, hunting big animals like the woolly mammoth and the giant ground sloth and what they used them for besides a source of food.

Ibn Battuta has idiosyncrasies, prejudices, and arrogance. He is also a man of curiosity, and conviction. It is because Ibn Battuta represents or comes across so much like ourselves that it is easy to dive more deeply into his writing and stories and see things through his eyes. What the reader can see is a picture of African civilization before European influence. Battuta’s stories

We begin with the early origins of Africa, and the civilizations in place before, the Western world had an influence on them. Africa like the other continents had its array of civilizations set up in the different nation states, their own power systems, economy, and way of living, ways that differed, but resembled other civilizations as well. In validating this claim, I will be looking and analyzing the source, Ibn, Battuta, Visit from Mombasa and Kila, Rhila (c. 1358). The source is an account by Ibn Battuta, who was a scholar from Morocco, who is known for his travels to different lands, over a 30-year period of time. In this source, he visits the Swahili coast of Mombasa and ends his trip in Kilwa, a city in modern-day Tanzania. It is here we see the initial state of some of the nation-states in Africa, Battuta described the two cities “the city of Kulwa is amongst the most beautiful of cities, and most elegantly built” (57). The description

The natural line and trajectory of material and spiritual development for millennia in Africa 's history up to the time of the Trans-Atlantic Trade in captive African was interrupted, disrupted and corrupted. While it is true that India suffered horribly as a result of the

“African societies developed diverse forms, from large centralized states to stateless societies organized around kinship or age sets rather than central authority. Within this diversity were many shared aspects of language and beliefs. Universalistic faiths penetrated the continent and served as the basis for important cultural development in Nubia and Ethiopia.

1. “The particular cultures and societies of Africa and of the Americas discussed in this chapter

"A nations culture resides in the heart and in the soul of its people." just like the American Indians. The Paleo Indians was one of the most famous tribes which had many different branches of tribes. Their tribe names were Clovis, Folsom, and Plano. The Paleo Indians lived during a time when the climate was changing. Because of the weather change, their plants and animals became successful during the Ice Age. These people are known to be big game hunters.

The Bantu migrations had a vast influence on the development of Africa. The Bantu peoples passed on many concepts to the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa. Originating from Nigeria in the Niger River Valley, the Bantu migrated south and then spread to both the east and west. The Bantu laid the foundation for Sub-Saharan African societies. They spread agriculture, animal domestication, iron metallurgy, and cultural development throughout southern Africa. Various forms of government have developed as a result of the Bantu migrations. They also contributed to the start of many societies, including the Swahili city states. The adaptations the Bantu people learned, especially the making of iron, helped them to expand and spread their discoveries. As

ibn Battutah 's account of his travels through Africa and the Eurasian continent are a fascinating narrative of the civilizations and cultures existing there in the 14th century; however, his account must be treated with a healthy dose of skepticism as he is the sole narrator, influenced by his opinions, feelings, culture, and ultimate goals for his writing. There 's no doubt that ibn Battutah offers much knowledge about the regions, but he only ever provides a selective picture, frequently pointing out customs that contrast with his culture. He tends to look favorably on people who treat him well and diminish the importance and intelligence of those who do not. His stories are written to entertain and so there 's a likelihood that he exaggerates parts of his tale. And since he is telling personal stories, there 's not an easy way for readers to verify that what he is saying is true. Even so, it is valuable to read his writings on his travels. He may not be providing a fair and even picture, but he is providing a vivid picture nonetheless. Thus, ibn Battutah 's account is a very useful piece of reconstructing the history of the time period.