Chapter 17 ss test

Why is there no lare settlments in the Sahara

Bc it is very dry

Why did extended family groups settle in the Sahara

By about 4000 B.C.E., some people had settled to farm south of the Sahara. The earliest farming communities were made up of extended families. An extended family includes close relatives, such as grandparents, as well as aunts, uncles, and their children.

What does finding copper at jenne-jeno indicate about the people living there

Copper was made from 600 miles away so it tells you that they traded from far away to get what they needed

Process of a city becoming a kingdom

Early Communities Early societies in West Africa were family-based communities. Some of these communities joined together to form villages. Banding together in villages allowed people to take advantage of natural resources and to defend themselves from attack.

How did extended families defend against floods and enimies

Extended families usually banded together in villages to get needed help. For example, people might need to work together to control a flooding river or to mine for iron or gold. They may also have united for protection. Archaeologists have discovered ruins of high walls and gates at the ancient West African village of Dhar Tichitt, in the present-day country of Mauritania. These structures suggest that the villagers united to defend themselves from attacks by outsiders.

Early kingdoms of west africa

Ghana, Songhai, and Mali

Most Important factors in the development of the following West African Societies Kingdoms Towns/cities Villages Family Based Communities

In this chapter, you learned how kingdoms and empires grew out of early societies in West Africa. Geography and Trade Geography was a major factor in the development of West African societies. Settled communities grew south of the Sahara, where the land permitted farming. Geography also influenced trading patterns. Communities traded with one another for items they could not produce locally. Rivers, such as the Niger, served as trade routes. Early Communities Early societies in West Africa were family-based communities. Some of these communities joined together to form villages. Banding together in villages allowed people to take advantage of natural resources and to defend themselves from attack. Towns and Cities Ironworking and trade helped some villages grow into sizable towns and cities. Iron tools allowed farmers to grow food more efficiently. As a result, more people could engage in other crafts. Villages traded their surplus goods for items they could not make themselves. Some villages became important trading sites and grew into cities. Others developed into large communities near important resources, such as iron ore or gold. Kingdoms and Empires Trade brought some cities great wealth. The rulers of the wealthiest cities conquered neighboring areas, leading to the rise of kingdoms and empires. Rulers gained even more wealth through tribute, as well as by controlling trade.

Technology of the Nok people

Iron working made iron tools

Artifacts of African past

Items left by earlier cultures also provide helpful clues about the past. Iron farming tools, for example, show that agricultural methods improved in West Africa. Scholars have worked to understand how more efficient farming affected the growth of towns and cities. Gradually, scholars have pieced together a picture of how complex societies developed in West Africa.

Geographic factors that contributed to growth of Jenne-jeno

Jenne-jeno was built where the Niger River meets the Bani River. This was an ideal location for farming, fishing, and trade. The people of Jenne-jeno traded their surplus goods—such as catfish, fish oil, onions, and rice—for salt, iron ore, copper, and gold. The iron ore came from 50 miles away and the copper from 600 miles away.

Most important trade product across the Sahara

Jenne-jeno was built where the Niger River meets the Bani River. This was an ideal location for farming, fishing, and trade. The people of Jenne-jeno traded their surplus goods—such as catfish, fish oil, onions, and rice—for salt, iron ore, copper, and gold. The iron ore came from 50 miles away and the copper from 600 miles away.

Advantages of becoming part of an emprie

Kings provided protection for the conquered territory. Armies made sure that trade routes were safe, and they kept out raiders and foreign armies. Wars between small cities ended. Kings collected luxury goods from their subjects and distributed them fairly throughout the kingdom. They also gave expensive presents to their governors.

How did the Niger River encourage trade

Several major rivers served as trading routes in West Africa. The Niger is the region's longest river. It became a kind of trading highway. People in ancient times traveled the Niger and other rivers by canoe to trade goods. Some traders also crossed the Sahara from North Africa, but most early trade was among West African settlements. They did this because it went through all of the different climates

Comparison of Savanna and sahel

South of the Sahara is a zone of semidesert called the Sahel. The Sahel is not as dry as the Sahara. It has enough water for short grasses and some small bushes and trees to survive. The southern part of the Sahel merges into the savanna, an area of tall grasses and scattered trees. The savanna has a long rainy season. Because of the rain, grains such as millet, sorghum, and rice can be grown there. Grasses provide food for cattle, camels, goats, and sheep. Rivers, such as the long Niger River, help make nearby land fertile and also provide fish for eating.

from discovering Jenne-jeno what did historians learn about West Africa

The Ancient City of Jenne-jeno In 1977, archaeologists began excavating the ancient West African city of Jenne-jeno. Built in the 3rd century B.C.E., Jenne-jeno existed for more than 1,600 years. Before it was rediscovered, historians thought that cities did not exist in West Africa until outsiders arrived and helped local people build them. The discovery of Jenne-jeno proved this theory wrong.

Reason different vegetation zones traded with each other

The geography of West Africa influenced the patterns of trade that developed there. Different resources are found in each of the vegetation zones. As a result, people living in different zones had to trade to get items they could not provide for themselves. For example, people on the savanna may have traded grains for yams or mahogany from forest dwellers.

What do high walls suggest about an ancient African community

These structures suggest that the villagers united to defend themselves from attacks by outsiders.

Vegetation zone of Jenne-jeno

the vegetation would be little to no rain with little plants and some scattered oasis's.

Yams, palm oil, Kola nuts (which vegetation zone)

this is the forest