ancient african social structure

The culture,language and customs of this empire were greatly influenced by the culture of Western African cities and the people were divided into sects or sections based on their social standing. Although they originated in the Indian Ocean, they played no major role in East African trade. In these states, violence and exploitation led to societies ruled by classes of military aristocrats or nobles. The political history of Africa begins with the emergence of hominids, archaic humans andat least 200,000 years agoanatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens), in East Africa, and continues unbroken into the present as a patchwork of diverse and politically developing nation states. Women who could not bear children were held in contempt, and by the same token male potency was esteemed. Pastoralists had come down the Nile Valley and then spread out across the grasslands of Africa, down as far as the Great Lakes region of central Africa. They are in a style of idealized naturalism, most representing kings at the height of their powers. Where there is a spring, a lake or a river, however, cultivation is possible, and in some areas, for example in the inner delta of the River Niger (see below), or on the shores of Lake Chad in West Africa, or the Great Lakes of central Africa, intensive cultivation has allowed concentrations of dense population to grow up. Indigenous religions never died out, however, and the two belief-systems lived side by side in uneasy co-existence for a long time (indeed, they still do in parts of West Africa). This wilderness was the abode of wild animals, fatal diseases, violent fugitives, evil spirits and other shadowy dangers which posed a constant threat to settled life. The African History is a number one educational website that features General history of Africa which include Ancient & Pre-colonial Africa, Ancient African civilizations, Empires/Kingdoms, Great Ancient African rulers, African Culture, global black history and news. For cultivators in particular, any religious beliefs were underpinned by a deeply-held idea about the world in which they found themselves. Its capital, Great Zimbabwe, is the largest stone structure in precolonial Southern Africa. The donkeys also were domesticated independently in the Ethiopian and Somalian region, but the majority of the domesticated animals came there from the regions around . On the other hand, everyone, regardless of sex or age, was required to work in the fields in times of peak activity such as harvest, and in some societies men prided themselves in their diligence as farmers. He was surrounded by his extended family his wives and children, his brothers and their families, more distant relatives, and unrelated families who had been separated from their own clans for various reasons and who looked to him for protection. NzA0NTc2MTNjMDFjMzQ0ODY3ODRmNjZhMzc0ZGFjNDExMDIzN2VhMGNhNGE4 Similarly, belief that spiritual power came only through dead ancestors was common amongst herding societies. Some cultivators worshipped a supreme god, particularly when seeking rain. Although the majority of Africans were farmers, at least from the late 1st millennium onwards, large tracts of land were inhabited by nomadic or semi-nomadic pastoralists. Keywords population phratries gene citizenship metics slavery Type Chapter Information This limited the number of children they might have in their child-bearing years, which would have been much more diminished, on average, by the incidence of infant mortality, childhood diseases and the dangers of childbirth. David Beach believes that the city . Those suspected of witchcraft were commonly relatives or neighbors who would benefit from a persons misfortune; and especially women whose age, childlessness, deformity or demeanor suggested bitterness. Much craft work in Africa, as in all pre-modern societies, was done on a part-time basis by farmers, particularly women. Interesting Facts about Traditional Religions of Ancient Africa The people of the Mali Empire believed in a magical force called "nyama." The religious beliefs of Africans impacted all aspects of their everyday lives including their food, work, and family life. Women predominated in small-scale trade as market sellers, which gave those involved considerable economic independence. OTE0MDljOTVhZWU3M2Q2ZmQ2ZGFhNWZmOTE2N2FmZWM0MGJhM2I5YzYxZjZm Egyptians believed that the gods controlled the universe. The beginning of the Atlantic slave trade in the late 1400s disrupted African societal structure as Europeans infiltrated the West African coastline, drawing people from the center of the continent to be sold into slavery. The staple crops varied throughout sub-Saharan Africa. These, as elsewhere in the world, had specialist activities ensuring fertility of women and soil, for example, or providing wealth. ZDQ1YTJjMTY4ZmNjMzllMjdlY2MwMTUyYmJiMDBiZTQ2M2IxYjg4OGY2YTBi In West Africa, the climatic zones aligned in a series of east-to-west belts Sahara desert, desert-grassland margin (the Sahel), savannah grassland and tropical forest. One other consequence of African underpopulation was the prevalence of the polygamy (see below). States emerged in the forest regions to the south from the end of the first millennium, while in the equatorial forests and grasslands of central, east and southern Africa the state-building process did not start until the early- to mid-second millennium. For cultivators in particular, any religious beliefs were underpinned by a deeply-held idea about the world in which they found themselves. eyJtZXNzYWdlIjoiYTQ3YTllNzM5MzNhY2U5MTg3MDQzZTY2YzI0NGNiOTQx The abundant insect life of the tropics makes for a very high prevalence of serious diseases, for both humans and their animals; this greatly constrains the rates at which populations can grow. It is an environment in which they feel at home and which provides them with all the necessities of life; however, they can live here in only small numbers, in scattered family bands which are constantly on the move. In matrilineal societies, in which which descent was traced through mothers, womens status could be particularly favored. They must also have all been centers of exchange, yet many African towns, especially outside West Africa (where commercial activity was a major function in urban settlements), seem to have had no markets. By the time they reached modern South Africa the dominant peoples were all pastoralists. NjI4MDI2ZmM3ZTBmNTYxODBhNzFhOWVhY2RlY2YxZDc2ODQwYjlkMTdhZjE3 Outside the oases there are some areas of scrubland, and here nomadic pastoralists Berber peoples, most notably the Tuareg graze their herds. These nomadic groups traveled continuously for food,. In case of divorce she often lost all rights to her children, a cruel policy used to impose more rigorous female chastity than was demanded elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa. However, every tribe needs some sort of hierarchy. The most productive salt mines were located deep in the Sahara desert, and the miners lived isolated lives working in appalling conditions. YmNlZWRhOWNhNTAxYjRmYjc3ZWNhZDYyMGMyNGVhMjMyYjYyODYzMmMxZTQ1 This was a strategy to counter a shortage of population, embarking on war and raids with the deliberate intention of taking captives to build up a concentration of unfree farmers under direct royal control. YjE4NWI3ZjI1ZTFlNDUxYmJhY2U0N2E1ODZjNzFmOWJlM2FkMzA2OGZkN2Q4 Learning support for teachers and students. It offers a general survey of the geographical environments they inhabited; their settlements, social structures and economies; and their religions and cultures. When one of the regular famines struck, these individuals were the first to die. 1. Facts about Ancient Africa 2: the important civilization Connected with this, feats of memory were a key part of African religious, political and commercial life. In the forests of West Africa and the Congo Basin, yams and plantains were the staple crop. Some states were created by rulers of village clusters who, through military prowess, were able to use their manpower to conquer other clusters. YmNjNjY4NWM4MWUxYzhlYjFmYzIwMmNiMTBmZTA0OWZlNGQ4ZmI5MzNlNmMz MjU3ZDQ3NDE0ZGRiM2NlMTZjMmE3NTQ0ODIxMzVlMzExZDc3ZTk0NDYyNGQ4 This was a form of draughts, and was played in private rather than in public. Slavery The most prized qualities were seen as the preserve of males, such as aggression and courage. Craft workers were often dedicated to meeting the needs of the ruler and the elite, their workshops located within the royal compound. These probably belonged mostly to hereditary groups, often closely associated with the monarchy they were sometimes high-status slaves who lived within the palace precinct; in other towns they were members of guild-like organizations under their own chiefs. Fear of witchcraft was particularly virulent in concentrated settlements where interpersonal tensions could be high. Pastoralist and farming communities have therefore lived in close proximity, which has been a major factor in state formation in these regions. Such traders were men, and they ranged from single itinerant traders with perhaps a donkey to carry his goods, to those in charge of caravans of donkeys or, in the desert, of camels. They also applied a wide range of ointments, and practiced bone setting, surgery and skilled midwifery. With the evolving of African settlements into bigger towns and cities, the Caste system slowly began to take shape and become a distinctive social structure. African ritual experts learnt thousands of verses of religious and wisdom poetry, and expounded the appropriate one to guide kings and ministers as they resolved disputes; Rememberers treasured the traditions and histories of the kingdoms; and traders astonished early European travelers with their powers of recall. Further upstream all have their flows interrupted by falls and rapids, making them unsuitable for long-distance trade even in the interior of Africa. 7. On Thursday, scientists shared the discovery of a corridor inside the 4,500-year-old structure at an unveiling ceremony held at the Giza Plateau.. Highly advanced and sophisticated African civilizations, cultures, societies, and statessuch as Ancient Egypt, Kush/Nubia, Axum, Ghana, Mali, and Asanteevolved throughout the continent from the ninth century before the Christian era (BCE) to the nineteenth century CE.African political systems and institutions were traditionally based on kinship and lineage (i.e., common ancestry . Click here to be redirected to our dedicated TimeMaps help section. However, population pressures often forced farmers out onto drier land. This was Islam, which gradually spread throughout the region over a number of centuries. From its territories, great civilizations have risen to glory. book part The land, much of which is hills and plateaux, is covered with grasslands, with some sub-tropical forests on the coast. Egypt. Most involved a keen belief in spirits of different kind; of the afterlife; of a spiritual dimension to the land; and of evil. An isolated region This was usually played communally, and noisily, in the open air, with plenty of noise. The main structure of the Awilu class people were considered precious in Hammurabi's Code and they were richer than the other two majorclasses in the society. If another man, through skilled farming, plenty of children and a charismatic personality, attracted a following, he could lead his people out into some vacant land and establish his own group. Equality was very important in these tribes and all people were treated equally. Difficulties in transport encouraged local self-sufficiency, and most trade consisted of purely local exchanges, for example at river banks where fish was bartered for vegetables, or where forest and savannah met, where the products of the two zones were exchanged. Those humans whose livelihood depended on adventuring into the bush hunters above all but also herbalists and iron workers, who needed wood for their furnaces were regarded with awe, for they must be protected by strong magic to survive such trips. Having said all this, disease remained common, debilitating and in may cases, fatal. The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers. Otherwise, large urban settlements were rare: Great Zimbabwe, Mbaza Kongo, and a handful of other towns were exceptional. An extraordinarily detailed understanding of plants and their properties, already noted in above in connection to their skills as cultivators, gave African healers an unmatched mastery of herbal remedies. MzE4Y2I3MDllMDBjODdjOGU4NDEwZGMxMWUzYzYxMDlmYmI2OWNiZmY1MGMw Unlike in other parts of the world, temples and other religious buildings did not dominate townscapes the exception here being the large mosques of Muslim cities. Just south of the narrow band of temperate climate in North Africa is the largest desert in the world, the Sahara. Through history, Africa has had an exceptionally hostile environment in terms of the diseases which could strike humans and their animals; and of the regions, West Africa was probably the most dangerous. The pastoralists tended to inhabit the desert and Sahel regions, leaving most of the savannah and forest regions to the farmers. One way in which the older generation could impose its control on the younger was through initiation. In large societies with dense populations, which showed marked differences in wealth and were controlled by strong political power, human sacrifice was widely practiced. NjhkMjY1MGEwZGFkNGU1MTkyY2ZlMDdlNWEwMTIxZGI5YjQwNzljMmRjOWI2 NmQ3NzU3NWZiNGRmMjNjOWYyMzgyNGI5NTRhMWYxMDU4YzQ3NDY5ZWFiYmU3 It was by no means uncommon for a brave young man to capture a young wife and run off with her. The wealthier the man, the more women he could marry. In most patrilineal societies womens status tended to be less favorable. Hypothesis 2: Social structures cause inequity and injustice against the meaningful participating in economic decision-making and benefiting from opportunities in a society. This tradition of West African sculpture arose in a much broader context of mask-making and statuary in wood and ivory, which covered much of sub-Saharan Africa. The resulting dissent, fueled by machismo, ambition, or desire for land, might lead to the exodus of a group of young men to a new location. In West Africa, the slow multiplication of population concentrations laid the basis for further expansion. It is inhabited by the San hunter-gatherer people who have adapted their lifestyle to this forbidding environment over 20,000 years. The herding way of life probably dated to the third millennium BCE, and preceded agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of townsmen, like villagers, were cultivators. Beside having been balkanized into several countries and branched among myriads of ethnic groups each speaking its own language and having its own cultural heritage, West Africa caste system constitutes yet another layer of its social structure. As a result, production was often labour-intensive, in a part of the world where labour was already scarce. This is most marked in eastern, central and southern Africa during the second millennium CE, at the start of which population levels were at a very low level. The obstacles to population growth meant that there was always plenty of land available for new settlement. MWZkZDVjMmYwOWFkODY0ZjRiZmVjNWQ3ZmIwYzIyOWVjYjk1MzNlNGE5OWU2 Many of them rose and fell throughout the African history. Climatic zones The contemporary political history of Africa is marked by imperialism, the expulsion of foreign powers and settler elites, and the post-independence travails of its roughly fifty states. Other cultural systems that were intended to create distinct classes of people and uphold a rigid hierarchy of power and control include the feudal system, slavery, Jim Crow laws, and apartheid. Originally, there were two Egyptian kingdoms. Whereas the people round about were Berbers, they were of black descent, either descended from captives brought there from further south or the last remnants of Negroid peoples who had lived in the region when it had a wetter climate. Slavery was widespread in traditional African societies. To the Western mind, at least, this aspect of religion was indistinguishable from magic, and was in the hands of mediums, priests, diviners and healers. The salt miners, on the other hand, were a dependent group not much better than slaves. In the grasslands, the hot, dry climate makes for a short growing season. However, it was also played in the more refined atmosphere of some royal courts, both in West Africa and East Africa, where the game formed part of a succession ritual. Africa was not just the birthplace of humanity but also the cradle of early civilisations that made an immense contribution to the world and are still marvelled at today. This caused individuals to be very sensitive to attacks on their personal honor, real or imagined. In more densely populated societies a number of such lineages might be clustered together to form a large village or small town. Men captured in war or raids were often sacrificed to the gods, and the wives, retainers and servants of dead rulers were frequently buried with him. Just as there is great cultural diversity so there is diversity in belief systems. As we have seen, the only major trading towns in these regions were on the Swahili coast of the Indian Ocean. Malaria was probably the biggest killer, especially of infants. The great majority of this area is far too dry for agriculture whether crop cultivation or animal grazing of any kind. OGUyMjAwMmI0ZjlmYzAyMmYxYjllZmEzN2EwMTYzMmMyNzQyZGIwY2IifQ== They did obeisance to their overlord, forwarded tribute to his court and providing men for his army. The Awilu was the top most class in the social hierarchy of ancient Babylonia. This had probably been first introduced to sub-Saharan Africa by Portuguese or Arab visitors, but the fact that it had been picked up by local healers and spread from people to people over hundreds of miles shows how open they were to new approaches. It was they who provided the support and security needed to get by. Religious and medical knowledge was interwoven, and was mysterious to the community at large (except in so far as the healing properties of many plants were commonly appreciated). Except in favorable locations, especially where fishing, or gathering aquatic resources, could supplement diets, hunting and foraging groups needed a large area of land on which to sustain themselves. The absence of roads very labour-intensive for scattered communities to construct and maintain wheeled vehicles such as carts could not be used. Olikenyi (2001) explains that, African hospitality which he contends is a vital aspect of existence in Africa in general, is one of the few facets of ancient African culture that is still intact and strongly This crosses the content from its west coast to the east coast. ODRiZmMzYWI1MGJhMTAxYjU4NWIxMzE1YzMyMGYxMGZlMmU4MjZkNjY1ZjVk Most cultures preferred abstract and stylized forms of humans, plants, and animals, but they had a range of distinct approaches and techniques. Given the nomadic nature of these societies the spiritual power in question could not be tied to a particular area might, indeed, be a universal spirit who controlled all the land. The resulting dissent, fueled by, The larger the state the more resources it could commit to defense and expansion. The usual form of marriage was through bride-wealth a groom exchanged a portion for his wealth to a brides family in order to marry her. New findings from a study of 12 diverse groups in Africa shed new light on the origin of modern humans, ancient . The greater number of people such a community embraced, the better it meant greater security for all, and more labour for the back-breaking work of keeping the bush at bay and clearing more land. Weaving with the loom seems to have come late to sub-Saharan Africa, introduced by Muslim traders into West Africa towards the end of the first millennium AD; and probably separately to eastern and southern Africa, also by Muslim merchants via the Swahili ports. MWMwNGY0OTc1ZDgwNmQ5YzJkMWE3YWIxNDIwMGUwYWNjY2ZhYThkNTc4OWE4

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