Why Were Many African Civilizations Prosperous?

“West African societies were shaped by competition for wealth and the search for independence from more powerful kingdoms” (History 2011). Most of Africa’s oldest kingdoms originated from West Africa. These old kingdoms contributed to the development and growth of Africa in many ways, especially trade and economic growth. As the new kingdoms replaced the old ones, they experienced a vast change. Conquest and warfare along caused these transformations to occur. It was also influenced by the patterns of trade. The earliest civilizations were in West Africa south of the Sahara desert. These civilisations grew at a time when most of the outside countries were experiencing The Dark Age. “After the fall of the Western half of the Roman Empire around

1. In the Neolithic era, about 8000 B.C., a new civilization and culture developed. The reason for this development was the change to hunting and gathering to cultivation of agriculture that permitted man to settle down permanently ending nomadic existence.

Around 3500 B.C, the first ancient River Valley Civilizations were formed. The Nile was the first civilization in the River Valley. Egypt, China, and Mesopotamia were three of these civilizations, that contributed crucial things for societies to come.

The paleolithic civilizations the early period of human history from 2,500,00 through 10,000 B.C. Neolithic civilizations begun to

These three civilizations created cultures that built societies and people for future generations. Starting around 3100 BC they began. The rule of King Menes began the Egyptian civilization by unifying the Upper and Lower Egypt into one kingdom (Duiker and Speilvogel 17). The Mesopotamian civilization located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, began with the Sumerians people (Duiker and Speilvogel 9). Also, in now what is modern day India, another civilization began. It was located in the Indus River Valley with the Harappan people (Duiker and Speilvogel 38). Three early civilizations laid the foundation for what would be the progression of future civilizations, all of which would greatly influenced the world.

The early civilizations of Africa were different in many of their cultural traits. One common trait they did have in common was the importance of trade in their society. Although trade was good for the African civilizations, there was consequences that followed trading. I will be using documents B, F, and D to support how early African civilizations had consequences from trading. In document B it states that, “The door of the pavilion is guarded by dogs on an excellent breed… who wear collars of gold and silver,” this quote helps support the idea that Ghana had lots of gold and wealth.

One reason why the Neolithic Revolution is considered a turning point in human history is people were no longer nomads. When farming came along, people began to settle down and create permanent settlements. According to Document #1, many animals were domesticated and crops were grown at around 8000 BC. Not so coincidentally, the first settlements at the banks of the Jordan river was formed. Because the crops were grown in one place, people were tied down to the area with their food.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a jungle as, “a harsh or dangerous place or situation in which people struggle for survival or success. ” The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair, is a dramatized portrait of an immigrant family enduring the turmoil that existed within the jungle of the early 20th Century. The family has difficulty staying afloat due to high living expenses, low wages, cyclical employment, and unending setbacks. These conditions within ‘the jungle’ break their family apart, strip away their values, and in some cases even take their lives. The Jungle provides an impactful depiction of the appalling conditions of the labor forces, abysmal living conditions, and plight of the working class during the early 20th Century.

According to Nelson oral tradition and history are important to native communities because it is the primary pedagogical tool for Indian communities around the country (Nelson Pg98). Before colonization oral stories were the main way of exchanging information and teaching future generations of the natives for centuries. They shared stories of how to gather plants, what and what not to eat, how to plant certain things and how and when to perform certain ceremonies. There were also profane and funny stories which included gossip.

Africans developed an extensive trade route through Aksum. Aksum became an important trading center because of its location. It is located to the South of the Red Sea. Since Aksum’s location was so close to the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the Nile River, it was a prime area to travel and trade goods not only faster but also easier (Document 1). Merchants would trade lots of items including salt, gold, ivory, gems, cloth, glass, and olive oil. Because of Aksum's location and role in international trading, the Aksum’s culture became a blend of many different cultures throughout the region.

The earliest societies, such as Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt exhibiting indicator traits of civilization developed along the floodplains of great rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq, and the Nile in Egypt. People had settled in Mesopotamia by 7000 B.C. and the First Dynasty of Egyptian

The Nature of Ronald CoaseDecember 29, 2014The Ideas That Shaped AfricaJanuary 7, 2015 As protests in Ferguson and elsewhere have brought police militarization to the forefront of public debate, some voices suggest that reigning in police militarization requires stricter gun control laws. For example, Matthew Yglesias argues at Vox that “when civilians are well-armed, police have to be as well.” Yglesias claims, “The officer always has to worry that if he doesn’t reach for and use his own gun, the suspect will.” He further contends that the disproportionate rate at which blacks are shot by police means “Young black men pay the price for gun rights.” While “officer safety” is the common refrain used to justify police violence and police militarization,

on the Nile River. That civilization was Egypt. At first, Egypt was just several civilization around

Consider how Africa’s geography has changed over time. What positive and negative effects would these changes have had on human populations on the continent? As their new homes changed they were able to adapt due to their innovative mindset. This can be attributed to the new found organization thanks to language. Allowing Africans to grow and expand throughout the entire continent. Other factors that can be attributed are the change in geography for some parts such as the Sahara drying out and swamps and lakes disappeared.

Oral traditions are historical traditions passed down by word of mouth from one generation to another without written instruction. Oral tradition was used during