Africa & Mesoamerica
What other area of the world that we have studied closely resembles the city states of the Great Zimbabwe?
Greece (The acropolis (Athens))
What is special about the leadership of King Sundiata of Mali?
He conquered and constructs Timbuktu
What were the main items of export from East Africa that were taken to the Middle East by Muslims?
High quality Iron, gold,
What is the major African state the Portuguese dealt with after coming to Central Africa?
The Kingdom of Kongo
What happened to cause the collapse and the downfall of the Songhai Empire?
Invaders came into the Songhai empire with guns, and other advanced technology.
What happened in West Africa after the collapse of the Ghanian Empire?
The Malian empire began using what the Ghanaian empire had already created.
Which clan was the core of the population of Malian Empire?
The Malinke people.
What similarities exist between the ruling city states of the Mayans and the Japanese government?
The Mayas had many kingdoms with ruling dynasties that were undisturbed in their reign, much like the Japanese dynasty
What was the condition the Portuguese brought to the east coast of Africa?
The Portuguese attack trade cities and ports,
What was the impact of the Portuguese arrival on the trading patterns of the East African coast?
The Portuguese wanted to takeover the trade, when they couldn't they attempted to destroy it.
How did the spreading of Islam differ in East Africa from that of Central and West Africa?
The east coast took longer to spread Islam then in the west.
How did the kings of Ghana rule or exercise their power? Who carried out the day-to-day operations of the city?
The king was very involved in the people lives, they gave advice and cared about their citizens. They ruled with a council of ministers.
Why is the long calendar of Mesoamerica civilization so significant to history?
The long calendar allows us to accurately match up Mesoamerican dates/events to events that were happening at the same time in the rest of the world
What was the level of impact that Islam had on sub-saharan Africa?
Islam had a large trading and religious impact. Many kings from this region converted to Islam, to expand trade.
Which Kongon ruler tried to rid his country of the Portuguese and the slave trade?
King Afonzo
What would be the best description the mitas system used by the Incas?
Like feudalism you paid taxes with money or farming on government land
Assess the state/level of urbanization within the Malian empire?
Mali had many port cities along the Niger, that were prosperous and brought wealth to the empire,
Which is the first city state in Mesoamerica
Monte Alban
Under Mansa Musa what happened to the city of Timbuktu?
More people began to come to timbuktu because of Mansa Musa's pilgrimage. Making it a large trading hub of North Africa
What are the borders of Mesoamerica (geo)?
Mountains, rivers, plateaus, geographically diverse Mexico --> columbia + venezuela
What place in Africa was first converted to Islam by 700?
North Africa, (Ghana)
Without metal what are some of the following materials used as weapons and tools in early Mesoamerica?
Obsidian, spears
Why did Teotihuacan's influence fade in 500 AD?
Parts of the city burned down, it was rebuilt but never fully recovered.
Agents of Islam brought which of the following development to sub Saharan Africa?
The religion, trade, ideas, inventions
How did contact with the Muslim world affect the African slave trade?
The slave trade spread quicker and became more wildly used.
What is the mesoamerican calendar based on?
The sun and the moon, two interlocking rings one has a solar calendar the other a lunar.
What was the central theme to Aztec ideology?
The sun god needs human blood to battle the night
What was the impact of expansion and conquest on the Aztecs social system?
There was a strict social class, The city was divided into Capullis (small neighborhoods based on who you know/what you do), people could establish guilds
What are some of the difficulties that confront scholars trying to understand the ancient civilizations in South and Mesoamerica?
There was not a writing system in many of these empires, and other's writing system has nothing translated with it / base it against.
Why was the civilization of the Great Zimbabwe safe from the Portuguese?
There were large natural land barriers that protected it
As look at carved images of prisoners at monte Alban, what do they tell us?
These depict human sacrifice, generally on alters allowing use to perceive that human sacrifice was done for their gods.
What would be the primary drawback of accepting outside reports as vital evidence for American History?
They are not as accurate, do not know the traditions, culture and history as well and will be biased towards their own civilization.
After conquest how did the Aztecs treat their conquered people?
They conquered them, took 1/2 of their people used them as a sacrifice, then left and waited for the population to grow again.
Which of the following would be the similarities between Mesoamerican civilizations and old world cultures in Africa, Europe and Asia?
They developed polytheistic religion, society, a calendar/way to mark time
Why did people of the americas never develop the wheel?
They did not have cultural diffusion, or links between them and other empires.
How did the Inca rule their vast empire?
They had a strict hierarchy, an extensive tax system (mit a system)
By the early 1500s what commonality was there between Meso- and south american societies?
They had similar religions with extremely similar gods, Sun god, moon god
During the postclassical period How would you best describe society in the Americas?
They were Isolated from the rest of the world, yet still invented similar things and created large empires.
In the Ghanaian empire how did the royal succession precede?
Through the king's closest female relative, usually uncle --> nephew
Where was the leading intellectual Center for the Islamic religion and culture in West Africa?
Timbuktu
The mayan civilization was composed of several cities that did what? (acted in which way)
Traded; ideas, culture, products Connected by: reilgon, culture, location
Why do historians as of late know more about the mayans?
We have found fragments of the maya Rosetta stone.
Which of the following did not occur in Mexico as results of the Aztec ride to power?
What did occur: continued human sacrifice, built a large central city
What would not be considered a primary resource for American History?
Writing
What might explain why so many people who were subjected to the Aztecs were willing to support Cortez and the conquistadors?
The Aztecs practiced human sacrifice using their conquered people when needed. Cortez seemed to be the lesser of two evils.
Why do we know more about the aztecs than any other Mesoamerican civilization?
The Aztecs were reported on by the Spanish Conquistadors when they came to the Americas, Reporting on their culture, ideas and system of government.
Which African society captured neighboring tribes and use them as plantation labors?
Ghana
What is a Prazor and how did they affect East Africa?
A person of both Portuguese and African descent. They become wealthy landlords in East Africa
What is the accuracy of the popular view that Africa south of the Sahara that was isolated from civilization until the Europeans showed up?
Africa was a stop on the silk road long before Europeans came. They traded with Arabs and within the continent.
Which of the following statements dealing with the political and religious Universality in Africa would be the most accurate?
Africa was at first polytheistic however when Islam came to Africa many kings converted.
What was the major drawback to African trade with other civilizations?
Alot of African trade was Slave trade,
What ruler was responsible for the extent of the Songhai Empire?
Askia Muhammad Al Turi
Which two languages served as unifiers in their large and diverse empires?
Bantu and Swahili
What was the major source of wealth for the Songhai Empire?
Controlled the mineral assets of north Africa (gold)
What were some of the major crops domesticated in Mesoamerica?
Corn, beans, potatoes
Who made up the population of the Cape Colony in South Africa?
Dutch sailors and African natives
Which monarch is credited with beginning Malinke expansion and creating the Malian empire?
Sundiata
Which leader turned Mali into an imperial power in the mid 1200?
Sundiata brought back architecture and expanded the empire
Aztec civilization was centered around what large city?
Tenochitlan
