Unit 9 Reading Quiz #1

What prevented the building of a Hausa empire?

Constant fighting among city-states

Where did gold come from in Africa?

Deep shafts and fast streams south of the area between the Niger and Senegal Rivers. Till 1350, 2/3 of the world's gold came from West Africa.

What was unique about the Taghaza village?

Due to its location in the Sahara, they had access to a lot of salt. They had houses made from salt blocks.

Which Africa empires were in East Africa? West Africa? South Africa?

East - Axum West - Ghana, Mali, Songhai South - Zimbabwe

What is Aksum modern day?

Ethiopia; center of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church.

What remarkable thing did Mansa Musa do when he stopped in Cairo, Egypt on his hajj?

He gave away so much gold that the value of it declined in Egypt for 12 years.

How did the Ghana king limit the gold supply and keep prices from falling?

He stored gold nuggets and salt slabs that were collected as taxes. Since only he could own gold nuggets, although gold dust circulated in the market, he limited the gold supply.

How were city-dwellers in Ife and Oyo able to become traders and artisans?

Ife and Oyo had cities with high walls and surplus food that they sent to cities. This surplus allowed city dwellers to become traders and artisans.

What were the largest Yoruba kingdoms?

Ife and Oyo. Ife was the most powerful until late 1600s, when Oyo became more prosperous.

Describe the art of Ife.

Ife were gifted in wood, ivory, terracotta sculptures, and metal casts. Some believe that rulers supported artists because the art portrayed Ife rulers in an idealistic way.

How did the Ghana Empire fall?

In 1076, the Muslim Almoravids of North Africa conquered Ghana. They eventually withdrew, but the war disrupted the gold-salt trade and Ghana never regained its power.

Describe the difference between Muslim societies and African Muslim societies in terms of women.

In Muslim societies, women didn't leave their homes and veiled their faces when they did. African Muslims did not wear veils and mingled freely with men in public.

Great Zimbabwe is near critical trade routes on the __________ Ocean.

Indian

How did Ghana become a kingdom?

It grew rich by taxing goods carried through the trade routes in the Soninke area.

How was the kingdom of Mali founded?

It was founded in 1235 by Mande-speaking people from south of Ghana. When Ghana was weakened, people under its control started acting independently and found new gold deposits to the east. Trade routes shifted eastward, making the Mali wealthy and powerful. (wealth built on gold like Ghana).

What were the major Hausa city-states?

Kano, Katsina, and Zazzau (later Zaria).

Who was Sundiata?

Mali's first great Mansa (emperor)

People called Sundiata's empire ________, meaning....

Mali; "where the king lives"

What was happening in North Africa while West Africa was flourishing?

The Almohads and Almoravids were building empires.

How was Great Zimbabwe established?

The Shona people of Southeast Africa founded it. It became an empire built on gold trade later.

What two rivers is the Zimbabwe empire between?

The Zamebzi and Limpopo rivers.

Why was the Ghana king able to demand taxes from chiefs of other lands?

The king had control of the trade and the army. As long as the chiefs payed, the king left them in peace.

How did Yoruba kings claim they were divine?

The legend says that the creator sent the founder of the first Yoruba state to Earth at Ife. This made the king of Ife the highest spiritual authority.

What is the Oba's right to rule based on?

descent from the first king of Ife.

What did the Hausa city-states' economy depend on?

farmers' crops and trade of salt, grain, and cloth

What were the 2 most important trade items?

gold and salt

What type of government did the Ghana king control?

he headed a large bureaucracy

Describe the interior of Benin City?

houses lined broad streets; huge palace with courtyards and art.

Western African kingdoms developed where?

south of the Sahara desert and along the Niger River

Why did Axum develop?

strong international trade system

African civlizations developed in _______________ Africa.

sub-Saharan

Gold and ivory that helped city-states become rich came from

the interior of south Africa

What is an oba?

the ruler of Benin

How did Sunni Ali expand his empire?

He built an army with a fleet and horseback warriors.

How did Sundiata gain power?

He crushed an unpopular leader. He came from the kingdom of Kangaba as one of the 12 brothers who were heirs to the throne. Sumanguru (ruler of neighboring state) overran Kangaba and killed his brothers, except Sundiata because he seemed sickly. Sundiata grew stronger, and defeated. Sumanguru.

What began centuries of European interference in Africa?

Portuguese trading ships sailed into Benin's port at Gwatto in the 1480s.

How did trade start to flourish in West Africa?

Saharan trade was inconsistent because pack animals couldn't travel far in harsh desert conditions. When Berber nomads introduced camels, trade flourished and new routes were created through the Soninke region.

What is the Sahel?

Savanna region south of the Sahara; Ghana, Mali, and Songhai flourished here; West Africa

Who was Queen Amina?

She governed Zazzau and is distinguished for her military conquests. Her commitment to Muslim faith encouraged Muslim intellectuals to come to Zazzau.

What trade was Zazzau involved in?

Slave trade with the other Hausa states. The Hausa states used slaves to build city walls and grow food.

How did Askia Muhammad come to power?

Sunni Ali's son was overthrown in a revolt led by Askia Muhammad for not being faithful to Islam.

Who regulated merchants in trading cities?

Tax collectors and other royal officials made sure they did business according to the law. Royal guards protected the merchants from bandits.

The collapse of Songhai signaled the end of what period?

The 1,000 year period in which powerful kingdoms ruled West Africa

Where did salt come from in Africa?

West Africa lacked salt, but the Sahara contained many deposits of salt. Arab and Berber traders brought salt from the Sahara and other goods from Mediterranean.

What were Sunni Ali's two major military triumphs?

(1) Captured Timbuktu in 1468 (2) Capture Djenne after surrounding the city for 7 years. He completed his takeover by marrying the Djenne queen.

What were Askia Muhammad's achievements?

(1) Set up an efficient tax system (2) Appointed officials to serve as ministers of treasury, army, navy, and agriculture.

What are the Hausa city-states?

A group of city-states that emerged in northern Nigeria and was named for the language they speak.

What were Sundiata's major accomplishments?

(1) Took Ghana, Kumbi, and Walata, which introduced a period of peace (2) Put administrators in charge of finance, defense, and foreign affairs (3) Promoted agriculture (4) Reestablished the gold-salt trade

What did Muslim rulers do to show their faith?

(1) built mosques (2) attended public prayers (3) supported preaching of Muslim holy men

What were Mansa Musa's accomplishments?

(1) expanded Mali to twice the size of Ghana (2) Divided the empire into provinces ruled by governors (3) Built mosques and universities at the trading cities Timbuktu and Gao after his hajj

Why did African civlizations develop?

(1) rich natural resources (2) geography (3) Trans-Saharan trade route

Who were the two best rulers of Songhai?

(both Muslims): Sunni Ali and Askia Muhammad

Describe Great Zimbabwe's location.

- Plateau between Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers - Good for farming and cattle raising - Near important trade routes that link gold fields with the coastal trading city Sofola.

Describe the government of the Hausa city-states?

- a king whose power is checked by officials - an army of horsemen - the king rules from the walled capital city

Archaeologists believe the construction of Great Zimbabwe may have taken about

400 years

When did Ghana become an empire?

800

Who was Mansa Musa?

A Muslim ruler and Sundiata's grand nephew. He was the second great ruler of Mali.

Who was Ibn Battua?

A native Tangier who visited most countries in the Islamic world. When he visited Mali between 1352 and 1353, he praised people for their study of the Qur'an but criticized them for not strictly practicing Islam's moral code. He was still impressed by Mali's justice system because he found that he could travel without the fear of crime.

Who conquered Kush?

Aksum

What blended group formed the basis of Aksum?

Arabs intermarried with Kushites and passed along their language (Ge'ez) and architectural skills. This blended group was the basis of Aksum.

How were colonies of farmers and traders founded (basis of Aksum)?

Arabs made trading settlements for ivory in exchange for silks, textiles, and spices. Trade with Mediterranean countries flowed into seaports here. Trading settlements became colonies of farmers and traders.

Describe the Benin art.

Artists working for the oba made brass heads of royal family and copper figurines. Brass plaques inside royal palace showed legends of oba and his nobles. Benin artists learned their craft from an Ife artist brought by the oba.

The walls of Great Zimbabwe were held together by mortar. T or F?

F - They were so well built that the blocks hold together without mortar.

The Hausa city-states were briefly ruled by the Mali. T or F?

F - by the Songhai

What was the capital of the Songhai Empire?

Gao

What three empires flourished in West Africa?

Ghana, Mali, and Songhai Empires.

Why did Mali fall?

Mansa Musa's successors couldn't govern well and gold trade shifted east.

By the 11th century, ___________ ___________ helped the Ghana king run his kingdom.

Muslim advisers

What was the capital and trade center of Mali?

Niani

How did Islam spread through North Africa? How did it spread through South Africa?

North Africa - by conquest South Africa - by trade

How did the Soninke region become known as Ghana?

The ruler of the region was the ghana (war chief), so Muslim traders used Ghana to refer to the region.

What religion did the people of Ghana follow?

The rulers converted to Islam, but many people of the empire stuck to animism or combined animism with beliefs of Islam.

What does the word zimbabwe mean?

The word zimbabwe comes from a Shona phrase meaning "stone houses."

What happened in the period between Sundiata's death and Mansa Musa's rule?

There was turmoil. 7 different Muslim rulers came to power in the span of 50 years.

How did the Yoruba kingdoms limit the king's rule?

They had a secret society that limited the king's rule by reviewing his decisions.

How did Songhai collapse?

They lacked modern weapons. A Morroccan fighting force equipped with guns and cannons conquered Songhai.

Why were Kano and Katsina major trade states?

They were on trade routes that linked West Africa with the Mediterranean. They profited by supplying the needs of caravans.

What West African city became a center of culture, learning and trade?

Timbuktu

Great Zimbabwe became economic, political, religious center of its empire but was abandoned by 1450. Why?

Unknown reasons. Some theories include... - cattle grazing and farming wore out the land - people used up the salt and timber - the area could no longer support ppl

Describe the ruins of Great Zimbabwe?

Walls around the ruins that were used to impress rather than as defenses. Inside the walls, there are 2 complexes of stone buildings that housed the royal palace, a cone shaped tower, and tall soapstone figures of birds.

How did the Songhai Empire form?

When Mali declined, people under its control broke away, including the Songhai. The Songhai built an army, extended their territory, and gained control of important trade routes. They founded an empire.

How did the Yoruba kingdoms develop?

Yoruba-speaking people from the forest of modern day Benin and SW Nigeria joined together under strong leaders to form several Yoruba kingdoms.

Who was Karl Mauch?

a German explorer; one of the first Europeans to discover the ruins of Great Zimbabwe

What is the Great Enclosure?

a curving wall up to 36 feet high and 15 feet thick

Why did Timbuktu attract Muslim intellectuals?

because of its mosques and universities.

What is animism?

belief that spirits living in animals, plants, nature are important to life.

How did Oba Ewuare make Benin a major West African state?

by building army and walls around Benin City

How did Ghana, Mali, and Songhai grow strong?

by controlling the gold-salt trade

Sub-Saharan -

in Africa, places located south of the Sahara Desert

Where is Aksum located?

in the Horn of Africa - south of Kush on a rugged plateau on the Red Sea

Where does information about Great Zimbabwe come from?

its ruins that were discovered by Portuguese explorers and other European explorers in the 1500s.

What was the population of Great Zimbabwe?

more than 10,000.

Where is the Kingdom of Benin?

near the Niger delta

How did Islam spread literacy?

people had to learn Arabic to study the Quran

What did the Portuguese trade with Benin merchants for?

pepper, leopard skins, ivory, slaves.

What three roles did Ghana kings have?

religious leader, chief judge, military commander

Yoruba kings were __________ and __________ leaders.

religious; political

Trans-Saharan -

trade routes that crossed the Sahara Desert and connected East and West Africa

Leaders of Great Zimbabwe taxed who?

traders travelling the routes and less powerful chiefs.

What goods was Kano known for?

woven, dyed cloth and leather goods