CHAPTER 8—EARLY CIVILIZATIONS IN AFRICA
1. Describe the characteristics of the various geographical regions of Africa. To what degree does access to, or lack of, water determine their boundaries?
2. With the help of a map locate and describe key sites of the earliest human settlements in Africa.
3. Discuss, with specific examples, the impact of climate upon the development of African societies.
4. Explain why several ancient African kingdoms developed immediately south of ancient Egypt. What were their sources of sustenance and wealth, and what was their importance?
5. Explain the important transformations that affected the Sahara region from the 4th millennium BCE to the 14th century CE. As part of your answer, elucidate the importance of this region to the development of North and Central parts of Africa.
6. How have new discoveries about developments in Nubia, Kush and the Sahara challenged historians' thinking about the origins of civilization in Africa, and the world?
7. Identify major human migrations and their probable causes between the 4th millennium BCE and the 13th century CE. As part of your answer, explain the effects these migrations had on settled civilizations at the time.
8. What are the several possible reasons that might explain Islam's success in Africa prior to 1500 C.E.?
9. Explain the formation and successful development of the East African city states following the 8th and 9th centuries CE.
10. What does the career and accomplishments of Mansa Musa reveal about African society during the fourteenth century C.E.?
11. Describe African societies in terms of urban life, family relationships, and the parts played by women and the institution slavery in their social fabrics.
12. In your opinion, what are the most significant cultural contributions of African societies?
13. What are the possible explanations-geographical, political, religious, and economic-which kept the West in almost total ignorance of sub-Saharan Africa until relatively recent times?
14. Compare and contrast the elements of civilization in sub-Sahara Africa with the civilizations of Mesoamerica. What are the similarities and differences and why?
15. What were some of the possible factors that inhibited the growth of civilized "states" in southern Africa?
16. In your opinion, other than perhaps the Egyptian pyramids, what were the most significant architectural accomplishments in Africa, and why? Be specific.
SHORT ANSWER
Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
17. Karl Mauch/19th century Europeans
18. Niger River
19. Congo River
20. Nubia
21. Kush
22. Axum
23. Saba
24. "hermit kingdom"
25. Coptic Christianity
26. Ethiopia
27. desertification of the Sahara
28. the Garamantes
29. savannas
30. "fleets of the desert"
31. Meroë
32. Nok culture
33. Madagascar
34. Bantu
35. the Periplus
36. Cape Guardafui
37. Rhapta
38. Swahili
39. Ashanti
40. Nyame
41. Berbers
42. al-Maghrib
43. Zagwe dynasty
44. Zanj/Azania
45. Kilwa
46. Mombasa, Zanzibar, and Mogadishu
47. Ibn Battuta
48. Ghana and Saleh
49. mansa
50. Mali
51. Mansa Musa
52. Timbuktu
53. "stateless societies"
54. Luba and Kongo
55. Great Zimbabwe
56. Zambezi River
57. the Khoi and the San
58. Khoisan
59. lineage group
60. matrilinear
61. African slavery
62. rock paintings
63. Benin bronzes
64. Axum stelae
65. bards and The Epic of Son-Jara
66. Zagwe churches
67. Gedi
68. Hump of Africa
69. Ethiopia
70. White and Blue Nile
71. Niger River
72. Congo River
73. Marrakech
74. Zanj
75. Kilwa
76. Twa
77. Nyanga
78. Mwindo Epic
MULTIPLE CHOICE
79. The northern area of Africa, from the Atlantic to the Indian Oceans, is composed of the greatest desert on earth, the
a.
Kalahari.
b.
Gobi.
c.
Sahara.
d.
Niger.
e.
Mojave.
ANS: C REF: p. 197
80. The great river that dominates the western region of Africa, the so-called "hump of Africa," is the
a.
Nile.
b.
Niger.
c.
Congo.
d.
Zaire.
e.
Zambeze.
ANS: B REF: p. 197
81. Karl Mauch found the ruins of
a.
Katmandu.
b.
Pietermar Teburg.
c.
Great Zimbabwe.
d.
Kilwa.
e.
Namibia.
ANS: C REF: p. 196-197
82. The geographical obstacle which divides Africa's northern coast from the rest of the continent
a.
is the Niger River.
b.
is the Nile River.
c.
are the Atlas Mountains.
d.
is the Sahara Desert.
e.
is the Kalahari Desert.
ANS: D REF: p. 197-198
83. If one traveled south from the grasslands of central Africa, one would reach
a.
the transvaal.
b.
the Great Divide of the continent.
c.
the area in which the predecessors of modern human beings first lived.
d.
some of the world's richest deposits of minerals.
e.
the Nile River
ANS: D REF: p. 197
84. The 'Hump of Africa' refers to the
a.
burden of poverty the continent caries today.
b.
sites of earliest human evolution.
c.
set of massive political problems the continent has been dealing with since the end of colonial rule.
d.
westernmost grasslands and tropical forests that border on the Atlantic Ocean.
e.
None of the above.
ANS: D REF: p. 197
85. The so-called 'cradle of humanity', where the earliest hominids evolved, is located in the
a.
Hump of Africa.
b.
Great African Rift valley.
c.
modern-day Egypt.
d.
Niger River region.
e.
ancient Ghana.
ANS: B REF: p. 197
86. Of the following, the southernmost river system in Africa is the ____ river system.
a.
Congo
b.
Niger
c.
White Nile
d.
Blue Nile
e.
Ganges
ANS: A REF: p. 197
87. The conversion of the Sahara region from a relatively humid lake-region, suitable for agriculture, to an arid desert was caused by
a.
the Romans.
b.
global climate change.
c.
the advent of human agriculture.
d.
massive extinctions of native plants.
e.
None of the above.
ANS: B REF: p. 198
88. What was the ancient kingdom to the South of Egypt called?
a.
Kush
b.
Mali
c.
Kenya
d.
Ethiopia
ANS: A REF: p. 198-199
89. The ancient African kingdom of Meroë is recognized for its wealth stemming from
a.
gold
b.
silver
c.
bronze
d.
iron
e.
copper
ANS: D REF: p. 199
90. What was the ancient African kingdom that claimed to be descended from the Arabian kingdom of Saba (or Sheba)?
a.
Axum
b.
Kush
c.
Meroë
d.
Egypt
e.
Nubia
ANS: A REF: p. 199
91. The ancient civilization that was located in the highlands of what is known today as Ethiopia was
a.
Yoruba.
b.
Kush.
c.
Sahara.
d.
Axum.
e.
Saba.
ANS: D REF: p. 199
92. Axum was
a.
the capital city of Kush.
b.
founded possibly by migrants from the Kingdom of Saba/Sheba in the Arabian Peninsula.
c.
the home of Mansa Musa.
d.
fatally defeated by the army of Zimbabwe.
e.
on the Congo River.
ANS: B REF: p. 199
93. A unique aspect of the ancient Ethiopian civilization was the fact that
a.
it was the only Muslim society in the area.
b.
it adopted the form of Christianity practiced in Egypt.
c.
its assimilation by Kush was brought about through the development of trade ties.
d.
the Syrians were able to make it a Muslim nation.
e.
it remained animist in religion until the twentieth century.
ANS: B REF: p. 199
94. The people of North Africa, who served as trade intermediaries for the great trans-Saharan commerce, were the
a.
Kurds.
b.
Phoenicians.
c.
Carthaginians.
d.
Berbers.
e.
Cree.
ANS: D REF: p. 199
95. The African Nok culture which is remembered for its early, sophisticated sculptures was located in the ____ region.
a.
Congo
b.
Kalahari
c.
Niger River
d.
Sahara
e.
East-African coastal
ANS: C REF: p. 200
96. The great iron-working culture of northern Nigeria was the
a.
Nok.
b.
Axum.
c.
Kush.
d.
Berger.
e.
Malagasy.
ANS: A REF: p. 200
97. All of the following are correct about the Garamantes except they
a.
transported goods across the Libyan Desert.
b.
were known to the Romans.
c.
survived for only a century.
d.
traded in salt, glass, metal, olive oil, and wine, gold, and slaves.
e.
declined as the desert dried up.
ANS: C REF: p. 200
98. By ____ BCE, modern humans had populated all continents on earth, except America.
a.
1 million
b.
200,000
c.
100,000
d.
40,000
e.
20,000
ANS: D REF: p. 201
99. The following were true about the trans-Sahara caravan trade except
a.
the Arab introduction of the camel into Africa enabled this trade to greatly increase.
b.
cultural exchanges were stimulated by the growth of the caravan activity.
c.
it enabled the Sahara region to become a major crossroad of international commerce.
d.
it brought the first Islamic traders to central Africa in the first century B.C.E.
e.
it allowed Islam to influence much of Africa south of the Sahara.
ANS: D REF: p. 203-204
100. What was the original homeland of Bantu-speaking farmers?
a.
Nigeria
b.
Morocco
c.
Ethiopia
d.
Nubia
e.
Egypt
ANS: A REF: p. 200-201
101. Which of the following cities is not located along the East African coast?
a.
Alexandria
b.
Mombasa
c.
Kilwa
d.
Zanzibar
e.
Rhapta
ANS: A REF: p. 203
102. East African trade
a.
was exclusively oriented through the Nile to the Mediterranean.
b.
provided a lively, ocean-going commercial intercourse with civilizations far to the east.
c.
maintained a strictly coastal exchange between African cultures only.
d.
was mainly with Madagascar.
e.
was dominated by Christian merchants from Constantinople.
ANS: B REF: p. 204
103. Swahili civilization was based on a mixture of native African and ____ cultures.
a.
Arab
b.
Roman
c.
Indian
d.
Byzantine
e.
Khoisan
ANS: A REF: p. 204-205
104. In southern Africa,
a.
an integration of Khoisan and Bantu-speaking peoples took place.
b.
the people of the area were generally darker and taller than the migrants from the north.
c.
the culture of the Khoisan-speaking society came to dominate the area.
d.
Islam became dominant in the 700s.
e.
Christianity survived in the mountains in the south until recent times.
ANS: A REF: p. 212
105. All of the following are correct about the land of Zanj except it
a.
had a large minority of residents from the Persian Gulf and Arabian peninsula.
b.
was ruled by the Zagwe and Azim dynasties for 400 years.
c.
exported rhinoceros horn, gold and ivory.
d.
included the cities of Pemba, Kilwa, and Mombasa.
e.
most of the coastal cities were self-governing.
ANS: B REF: p. 204-205
106. Which of the following is a correct statement about Swahili?
a.
It was a culture reflecting a mixture of Indian and African influences.
b.
As a language, it employed Bantu grammar and Arabic linguistic terms.
c.
The term derives from the Arab word for "jungle."
d.
It was exclusively a written language.
e.
It became the official language of Islam.
ANS: B REF: p. 204-205
107. The original reason for the rise of the kingdom of Ghana was
a.
its water resources.
b.
its rich silver deposits.
c.
the role it played in the gold trade.
d.
its commerce in silk.
e.
its religious ties to the Byzantine Empire.
ANS: C REF: p. 205
108. In regard to state building in West Africa, it can be said that
a.
Ghana was the first great commercial state there.
b.
warfare with the Byzantines resulted in the eventual decline of the kingdom of Ghana.
c.
trade and commerce produced the growth of an integrated empire in the region.
d.
Zimbabwe replaced Ghana as the predominant trading nation of the area.
e.
it was conquered by Arabs.
ANS: A REF: p. 205
109. The wealth of Zanj was primarily derived from
a.
agriculture.
b.
mining.
c.
fishing.
d.
trade.
e.
All of the above.
ANS: D REF: p. 206
110. The well-known African city of Marrakech is located in which country?
a.
Morocco
b.
Ghana
c.
Egypt
d.
Ethiopia
e.<