Chapter 9: On the Frontiers of the Old World Web: Africa and Europe to 200 CE
Place the following important events in the history of Africa and Europe in chronological order.
1. Farmers arrive in europe. 2. pastoralism spreads to east africa 3. iron working appears in anatolia 4. iron working appears in europe
The following events marked the transition of Europe from groups of mobile hunters to more complex social organizations. Place these events in chronological order.
1. populations lived mainly from hunting and collecting food 2. Farmer migrants enter europe throught greece 3. stone monuments began to appear 4. exchange networks were first created 5. bronze was introduced
Africa covers one-fifth of the world's land area; it is usually warm or hot and holds different ecological zones. Place the following geographical areas in order from most to least percentage of the continent they occupy. Start with the region that covers most land.
1. savanna grassland 2. dessert 3. rain forest 4. montane
Until roughly what time period did Africans and non-Roman Europeans remain at the fringes of the big regional webs of interaction that connected Eurasia?
100 ce
Before 200 BCE people living at the margins of more complex and developed societies—such as the ones formed in East Asia and between Egypt and India—accounted for roughly what percentage of the world's population?
25
Iron production shaped European and African communities in different ways. Match each statement to the region it describes.
Africa - Iron production promoted long-distance exchange networks. Europe - Virtually every community had a blacksmith. The skills needed to produce iron were spread across the region.
Africa's transition to farming was not as life altering as it had been in other ancient societies. Why was this the case?
African crops were difficult to convert into political power
The life of ancient non-Roman Europeans and Africans had many similarities until the end of the last ice age. Yet, their circumstances in terms of population growth, accumulation of power, formation of states, and commercial activity differed by 200 CE. Which of the following statements help explain why their experiences diverged?
After the Sahara dried out, it generated an obstacle for communication. Africa is larger than Europe. Much of Africa is farther from Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean.
Sources 1 and 2 draw attention to the presence and value of copper, brass, and bronze in the frontier regions of Africa and Europe. Identify the claims that the evidence best supports.
Bronze and copper were important mediums of economic exchange in markets and trading ports. The versatility of bronze and copper contributed to their value because they could be shaped for many uses. Bronze military equipment and other items such as copper jewelry were status symbols.
The British Isles developed bronze working after all of mainland Europe had already mastered the technique.
False
New technologies permitted European elites to start knitting together their own webs of interaction. First, allowed food surplus and more permanent settlements. Later, after 2200 BCE, completely altered the exchange network. Goods made out of this metal were coveted by everyone and became a symbol of status. Weapons made of bronze were superior to others made of wood, stone, or copper, and bronze was a great material for ornaments and
Farming. bronze. jewelry
Which of the following statements describe how most Africans lived around 200 CE?
Fights among armed parties were rare. Farmers often lived more peacefully than pastoralists. They did not have kings or other leaders to please or obey.
Helmets such as the one pictured in Source 2 were indicative of the spread of bronze weapons and warrior culture across much of Europe. Analyze the physical characteristics of the helmet. Identify the claims that support the idea that the helmet would have been a prized and valuable possession.
Horns created the illusion that the warrior was taller and more formidable, making the helmet useful in battle. Bronze, an alloy of tin and copper, was valuable because of its strength and appearance. The decorative elements of the helmet suggest that it belonged to an elite warrior.
Which of the following statements describe iron working in Africa between 1000 BCE and 200 CE?
Iron proved to be a lethal enemy of trees. Meroë was the center of its production. As iron production spread, forests turned into pastures and fields.
Bell beaker ware demonstrates that by 2000 BCE a commercial and cultural web among European elites was already in the making. Which of the following statements describe how beaker ware was used and why it was cherished by several regions in Europe and North Africa?
It was used to hold extremely hot liquid copper. It was used to hold beer's chemical residues. It was used to hold ashes of cremated people.
By 100 CE trade expansion affected European regions in different ways. Match each description to the region it best characterizes.
Mediterranean - created goods that became essential for European leaders Gaul - traded slaves for wine Ireland and Scotland - mostly interested in the commercialization of slaves
Merchants played a vital role in connecting regions in the Old World web and their frontiers. Consider all three sources, and identify the claims that the evidence best supports.
Merchants gathered and communicated knowledge of other places. Merchants transported goods of varying quality and quantity.
Which of the following statements describe commercial activity in Africa between 1000 BCE and 200 CE?
Several communities traded food for iron tools. Evidence suggests it accelerated after 500 BCE.
Identify the statements that describe how spiritual life started to change around 5500 BCE.
Stone monuments started to appear all over Europe. Group burials became common practice. Burials began to include treasures alongside the bodies.
What does the map tell us about the Danube River?
The Danube river is navigable from the black sea to just east of bavaria
Based on the map, which of the following statements is true about iron-working sites in Africa?
The majority of iron working sites were located in rain forest zones near the equator
Based on the map, which of the following statements is true about trade routes in northeast Africa?
The trade routes formed a trade web connecting Kush and Aksum to the Mediterranean and India
According to archeological evidence, how did Europeans solve food shortages after the last ice age?
They moved closer to the coasts
Along the Baltic Sea coast was the main natural resource, whereas could be found in modern-day Italy, and in modern-day central Ireland.
amber. copper. gold
Slavery was profitable in the Roman Empire. The expressions on the Roman soldiers' faces seem to lack thus illustrating that the slave raid was a occurrence. Roman funerary practices for the wealthy often included reliefs of historical, religious, or personal significance. The presence of this relief, which depicts the aftermath of a battle, suggests that the owner of the sarcophagus may have achieved advanced
anxiety or emotion. common. military rank
Two of the most salient developments during these transitionary centuries was the emergence of two groups of people: the Cimmerians and the The Cimmerians, mainly coming from Russia and Ukraine, marked the arrival of equestrian life and steppe customs into Europe. They mostly influenced the region of what is today Celts, on the other hand, probably appeared around the area of central and Europe between 1300 and 700 BCE. This group experienced a population boost resulting from an increase in food supply.
celts. hungary. western
Which of the following factors led to a larger accumulation of wealth among certain groups in Europe after 800 BCE?
coinage expansion of Europe's exchange network
Before 10,000 BCE, Africa experienced several waves of climate change and suffered many particularly seasons. Constantly adapting to new conditions, Africans first resorted to foraging, fishing, and hunting. They were usually organized in clans and constantly on the move as they searched for reliable sources of food. Because of and low levels of interaction among groups, Africans communicated using different languages. Today, linguists believe that between languages are spoken in Africa.
dry. low population density. 700 to 1,000
In Africa's early farming systems, the earth was scratched with sticks to plant different crops. As soil was generally rock hard, often only men had the necessary strength to do this.
false
In both ancient Europe and Africa, farming and bronze played a key role in the development of networks of exchange.
false
On the mainland . . . lies Adulis, a fair-sized village, from which there is a three-days' journey to Coloe, an inland town and the first market for ivory. From that place to the city of the people called Auxumites [i.e., Aksumites] there is a five days' journey more; to that place all the ivory is brought from the country beyond the Nile through the district called Cyeneum [Kush], and thence to Adulis. Practically the whole number of elephants and rhinoceros that are killed live in the places inland, although at rare intervals they are hunted on the seacoast even near Adulis . . . . There are imported into these places, undressed [unfinished] cloth made in Egypt for the Berbers; robes from Arsinoe [near Suez in Egypt]: cloaks of poor quality dyed in colors; double-fringed linen mantles; many articles of flint glass, and others of murrhine [delicately carved stone or glass] made in Diospolis [Thebes in Egypt]; and brass, which is used for ornament and in cut pieces instead of coin; sheets of soft copper, used for cooking-utensils and cut up for bracelets and anklets for the women; iron, which is made into spears used against the elephants and other wild beasts, and in their wars. Besides
first market for ivory. ivory is brought from the country beyond the Nile thin coats of skin, There are exported from these places ivory, and tortoiseshell and rhinoceros-horn.
There are imported into these places, undressed [unfinished] cloth made in Egypt for the Berbers; robes from Arsinoe [near Suez in Egypt]; cloaks of poor quality dyed in colors; double-fringed linen mantles; many articles of flint glass, and others of murrhine [delicately carved stone or glass], made in Diospolis [Thebes in Egypt]; and brass, which is used for ornament and in cut pieces instead of coin; sheets of soft copper, used for cooking-utensils and cut up for bracelets and anklets for the women; iron, which is made into spears used against the elephants and other wild beasts, and in their wars. Besides these, small axes are imported, and adzes and swords; copper drinking-cups, round and large; a little coin for those coming to the market; wine of Laodicea [in Anatolia] and Italy, not much; olive oil, not much; for the king, gold and silver plate made after the fashion of the country. ...
for the king, gold and silver plate made after the fashion of the country. ...
After picking up ivory in India, a trader would travel through the Red Sea on his way to trade in Egypt. Which two trade goods was a trader likely to pick up in the Red Sea region?
incense and slaves
Which of the following metals is particularly relevant to the history of farming in Africa?
iron
Meroë, also known as the "great city," played a central role in the production of Strategically located between and sub-Saharan Africa, the prosperity of the city rested on commerce. For centuries, Meroë produced a large part of the iron used in Africa, and by 300 BCE it was already exporting the metal to Egypt descent was characteristic of this society, in which people traced back their descent through mothers.
iron. egypt. matrilineal
Over the millennium before 200 CE the population in Africa was surely growing, but outside of the northeast it retained its existing political structures. Match each group below to the appropriate descriptions.
lived in societies built on kinships - most African peoples found little incentive in submitting to rulers - most African peoples lived in state developments resembling those in non-Roman Europe - few African peoples
The webs of interaction that linked together different societies around the globe developed in different ways and time periods. Match the following peoples to the best description of their way of life before 200 CE.
more at liberty to decide their fate and way of life - people in sub-Saharan Africa and northern Europe vulnerable to slaving raids - people near the Nile-Ganges web less resistant to deadly diseases - people in sub-Saharan Africa and northern Europe
Bronze and iron working provoked different effects in ancient European societies. Match each description to the correct metal.
promoted goods exchange in many parts of Europe led to the creation of an elite culture
Imagine you are a West African trader. After setting out from the coast, you travel along the Niger River to your destination in Jenne. Place the ecological zones in the order you will encounter them on your journey.
rain forest. savanna. semi desert
As a continent, Africa is geologically old and has gone through great temperature variations over the centuries. The geography of the region played a determining factor in the lives of its peoples and the survival mechanisms they put in place. Which of the following characterize the African landscape?
scarce natural protection for vessels along the coastlines rainfall variations big rivers that cannot be sailed their whole length weathered soils that are low in nutrients
By 1000 BCE, and Europe (outside the Roman Empire) stood at the edges of the robust Nile-Ganges web and sustained few exchanges with other societies. Though their network of interaction was integrated by ironsmiths and long-distance trade of iron goods used in farming, weaponry, and ornaments. By 200 CE these regions were already linked to a larger network connecting Egypt and .
sub-saharan africa. fragile. india
Identify whether the following key components of climate change were characteristic of ancient Europe or Africa.
the Gulf Stream temperature change
As in Africa, permanent settlements in inland Europe after the last ice age were rare, as most of the population stayed constantly moving in search of food supplies.
true
The introduction of new crops, along with iron tools, allowed people living in moist tropical zones of Africa to produce a food surplus for the first time. This development promoted expansion and population growth in the region.
true
The reasons that drove the Celtic peoples to migrate starting in the fifth century BCE are still unclear. Some, like the Roman historian Livy, argued it was due to population growth. Modern scholars believe they may also have been responding to the new trade regime.
true
On the mainland . . . lies Adulis, a fair-sized village, from which there is a three-days' journey to Coloe, an inland town and the first market for ivory. From that place to the city of the people called Auxumites [i.e., Aksumites] there is a five days' journey more; to that place all the ivory is brought from the country beyond the Nile through the district called Cyeneum [Kush], and thence to Adulis. Practically the whole number of elephants and rhinoceros that are killed live in the places inland, although at rare intervals they are hunted on the seacoast even near Adulis . . . . There are imported into these places, undressed [unfinished] cloth made in Egypt for the Berbers; robes from Arsinoe [near Suez in Egypt]: cloaks of poor quality dyed in colors; double-fringed linen mantles; many articles of flint glass, and others of murrhine [delicately carved stone or glass] made in Diospolis [Thebes in Egypt]; and brass, which is used for ornament and in cut pieces instead of coin; sheets of soft copper, used for cooking-utensils and cut up for bracelets and anklets for the women; iron, which is made into spears used against the elephants and other wild beasts, and in their wars. Besides
undressed [unfinished] cloth made in Egypt for the Berbers brass, which is used for ornament and in cut pieces instead of coin; wine of Laodicea [in Anatolia] and Italy, not much; olive oil, from the district of Ariaca [in coastal northwest India] across this sea, there are imported Indian iron, and steel, and Indian cotton cloth;
Which of the following geographic features most directly shaped Europe's history after the last ice age?
a coastline that facilitated the creation of harbors mountain chains that posed challenges to the movement of people
Why is the period from 1300 to 800 BCE described as a "time of transition" in Europe?
a pan-european elite culture took shape with common artwork, religious practices, weaponry, and more, appearing across europe
In Africa, land was abundant and people scarce. These circumstances worked power and wealth accumulation politics and limited social hierarchy characterized the period and the region before the birth of states. Africa, particularly the region of Nubia, presents exceptions to this with the cases of Kush and Aksum.
against. small-scale. north
