History Exam (DECEMBER 11, 2013)– Study Guide (Teacher: Yasser Musa – 1C + 1D)

KEY AREAS TO STUDY

1. Study the world map with migration and trade routes
2. Review - Paleo Indian tool and migration/ Genetic Eve/ Paleoindians /Mathematical achievements of early African civilization
/Significance of the Niger Delta and River/ Mansa Musa’s route
3. Study the map of Africa focusing on physical and geographic features especially West Africa and Nubia/Nile area
4. STRUCTURED QUESTIONS: Study – Uses of History, Africa the Birthplace of Humanity, Agriculture, Iron and Mali.

UNIT 1 - What is History?

-­‐ Story of Humankind/Part of the whole human experience
-­‐ Majority of Belizeans claim biological descent from Africa and Maya
-­‐ History of indigenous people written by outsiders – Conquistadors + Franciscan priests
-­‐ Diego de Landa – auto de-fe famously destroyed countless Maya books known as codices in the 1560s

USES OF HISTORY
-­‐ Formation of a positive self identity
-­‐ Put our ancestors at the centre of history
-­‐ Build an invigorated, assertive, self-enriching, national Belizean identity
-­‐ African and Maya civilizations provided the foundation of modern Belizean society
-­‐ Indigeneous and African civilzations provided the blueprint for Western Civilization

Unit 2 – Ancient BEGINNINGS

1. Our species is an African one: Africa is where we first evolved, and where we have spent the majority of our time on Earth.

AFRICA THE BIRTHPLACE OF HUMANITY = Ancestors of all humanity evolved in Africa/ Fossil bones and stone tools found in East Africa/
Footprints made by early hominids crossing a mudpan 3.6 million years ago in Tanzania/ Stone tool invention led to cognitive developments /
MIGRATION – out of the continent = AFRICA

AFRICA: Early humans

-­‐ Tools dating 3 millon to .5 million years ago
-­‐ Evolution of humans – Africa is the birthplace of humans who now live in different parts of the world
-­‐ Africa = place where early varieties of hominids similar in many ways and also different emerged
-­‐ Climate - Africa unique due to its dominant tropical vegetation
-­‐ Tool making 1st emerged in East African Savannah
-­‐ Early Humans 1st scavenged before learning to hunt and gather
-­‐ This history of the world has been about migration

From Africa and Asia to the Americas

-­‐ Called Paleo (old) Indians = small bands of people speaking different languages
-­‐ Paleo-Indians (15,000 – 7000 BC)Crossed the Beringia landbridge = 620 miles long/ Following herds of – large animals / mastodons,
mammoths, reindeers, horses, and bison/ Hunting knife = the CLOVIS

Archaic People in Belize - SETTLED IN BELIZE - Campsites dating from 9000 to 2000 BCE (eastern and northern areas of Belize)

THE REAL EVE NOTES (video clip)

Genetic tracking Unlocking 7000 generations of history.
Mitochondrial Eve is different than biblical “Eve.” Not one woman who started humans, but her DNA line survived, as all other dropped out,
making her the “common genetic ancestor” for all humans alive today.”
Earlier humans migrated out of Africa, but didn’t survive.
a. Peking Man& earlier human species migrated across Europe/Asia, but they all died out/went extinct.
b. Some homo sapiens (modern humans) left through Northern route, but they died during extreme droughts approx. 110,000
years ago

UNIT 3 STONE AGE TO BANTU MIGRATION

The late stone age in West Africa (15,000 – 500 BC) # 1 = Cultivation of food crops and the raising of herds of animals (led to settlements and
development of the arts – rock painting/ decorative works with shells)# 2 = Production and use of metal tools and weapons (GOLD + IRON ORE)

AREA of Development of AGRICULTURE in ancient Africa (c.5000 – 2000 BC)

1. Afro- Mediterranean cradle (Egypt – Morroco) – cereals = wheat + barley, lentils, olive trees
2. Nile Abyssinian Centre – wheat, barley, sorghum + COFFEE
3. West African Centre – sorghum, penicilliary, finger millet, fonio and rice
4. Central African Centre – few cereals + tubers, leguminous plants and earth pea or groundnut
-­‐ agriculture developed by trial and error
-­‐ earliest known organized food production = along the NILE 15,000 years ago (long before the period of the Pharaohs)
-­‐ agricultural achievements = domestication of cereals/ invention of pottery/ domestication of – rice, sorghum, millet, shea butter, oil palm,
gourds, calabashes, yams/ integration of agriculture with cattle keeping, raising and herding/ cows

IRON AGE iN AFRICA (c. 500 – 300 BC) - transformed the African Continent + TRADE (long distance) started to become important. Iron allowed
better tools (from stone) and better weapons. It expanded agricultural production, protection/ security and better land clearning

African  and  Maya  History  –  1st  form  EXAM  study  guide  (1C  +  1D  –  Yasser  Musa)  
Large states developed around market centers:
Western Sudan (Ghana, Ife, Benin, Mali and Songhai)/ South Central Africa (Great Zimbabwe)/ East African Coast (Kilwa, Malindi, Mombassa,
Bunyoro and Buganda) + Iron tools – made houses from wood and tatch

Unit 4 Innovation, Science and Technology in Early African Civilizations

In the Inland Niger Delta scientists have uncovered evidence of a transformation from nomadism to settled life as far back as 10,000 to 5,000
BC. Development of Agriculture allowed settlement, population increased, division of labor – It led to forms of social control = religion, law and
order and political organization + surplus food led to trade

MATHEMATICS
Evidence: 8,000 year old bone with numbers
Found near an ancient fishing site called Ishango in Congo region of Africa
(some believe it is more than 20,000 years old)

NUBIA
Ancient Rock Gong Drums rock gongs are large slabs of stone that when stroked with another stone it makes a metallic sound. It was used as
drums for the Nubians, the first rock gong was discovered in 1892. Rock art (cattle paintings) was the first form of art, which usually depicted
cattle, was used by Nubians to tell about their everyday life of herding cattle.

UNIT 5 – WEST AFRICA

300 BC – 1900 AD - West Africa - GEOGRAPHY - Tropical forest (south)/ Woodland + grassland (SAVANAH) – (middle)/ Dry and arid
scrubland in SAHEL bordering the Sahara (north)

WHERE DOES OUR KNOWLEDGE OF ANCIENT WEST AFRICA COME FROM?

ORAL TRADITION – professional historians known as GRIOTS. WRITTEN TEXT – Arabic books by historians. ARCHAEOLOGY – thousands of
years before Jesus

A griot is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet and/or musician.

2 KEY FACTORS that led to growth in civilizations = AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION(c. 5000 – 2000 BC) + IRON(c. 500 – 300 BC)

What gave rise to the great empires of West Africa?

The Trans-Sahara Trade and its impact of West Africa Agents of change: Camel, Gold , Salt and Captives

Trans- Sahara TRADE

Between North and West Africa Before camel / They used oxen, donkey and horses/ Until 4th century ad TRADE was small scale/ 5TH CENTURY
introduction of Camels – single most important development for trade (CAMELS = heavy load, long distances – facillitated exploitation of salt
mines in the Sahara)

WEST AFRICA = demand for SALT

GOLD = most important staple in trans- Sahara trade (until “discovery” of America) – West Africa = principal source of GOLD for Muslim world
and Europe/ SILENT BARTER – Monarchs of West Africa kept the mining of GOLD a secret

WEST AFRICA EMPIRE – a closer look at MALI

Mansa Musa – sultan of Mali1324 pilgrimage to Mecca. He effectively controlled the GOLD trade not only for Islamic states but of European
communities. An account – when he passed Cairo – 60,000 people carrying 12 tons of GOLD
The empire of Mali had its height from 1200 CE through the late 1600's.
Major Export: Gold / Natural resources: Niger River, Gold Mines (west), Salt Mines (north)
Industries: Farming, mining, trading, defense (army)/ Agricultural crops: Beans, rice, onions, sorghum, millet, papaya, gourds,
cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, cotton, and peanuts.
Economic specialization: Traders, miners, farmers, blacksmiths, soldiers
Famous People: Sundiata, Mansa Musa /
People: The common people worked very hard. Nobles were more comfortable. Everyone made time for music, art, and the griots./
Education: University at Timbuktu

African  and  Maya  History  –  1st  form  EXAM  study  guide  (1C  +  1D  –  Yasser  Musa)