1. Swahili civilization of East Africa developed from blend of Bantu with commercial life f the Indian Ocean (especially Islamic) a. growing demand for East African products (gold, ivory, quartz, leopard skins, some slaves, iron, wood products) b. African merchant class developed, with towns and kingships 2. Swahili civilization flourished on East African coast between 1000 and 1500 C.E. a. very urban, with cities of 15,000–18,000 people b. each city was politically independent, ruled by a king c. accumulated goods from the interior and traded for Asian goods d. sharp class distinctions 3. most of trade was in Arab ships; Swahili craft traveled coastal waterways 4. deep participation in the Indian Ocean world a. regular visits by Arab, Indian and Persian merchants; some settled b. many ruling families claimed Arab or Persian origins c. Swahili was written in Arabic script, with Arabic loan words d. widespread conversion to Islam 5. Islam and Swahili culture didn’t reach much beyond coast until the nineteenth century a. but Swahili region traded with the interior, had an impact b. trade with interior for gold led to emergence of Great Zimbabwe (flourished in 1250–1350 C.E.) IV. Sand Exchange across the Sahara A. Commercial Beginnings in West Africa 1. trans-African trade was also based on environmental variation a. North Africa manufactured goods b. Sahara had copper and salt deposits, dates c. agricultural peoples further south grew crops, produced textiles, mined gold 2. earliest trade in the region was among agricultural peoples in the Sudan a. emergence of urban clusters in the early centuries C.E.
1. Swahili civilization of East Africa developed from blend of Bantu with commercial life f the Indian Ocean (especially Islamic) a. growing demand for East African products (gold, ivory, quartz, leopard skins, some slaves, iron, wood products) b. African merchant class developed, with towns and kingships 2. Swahili civilization flourished on East African coast between 1000 and 1500 C.E. a. very urban, with cities of 15,000–18,000 people b. each city was politically independent, ruled by a king c. accumulated goods from the interior and traded for Asian goods d. sharp class distinctions 3. most of trade was in Arab ships; Swahili craft traveled coastal waterways 4. deep participation in the Indian Ocean world a. regular visits by Arab, Indian and Persian merchants; some settled b. many ruling families claimed Arab or Persian origins c. Swahili was written in Arabic script, with Arabic loan words d. widespread conversion to Islam 5. Islam and Swahili culture didn’t reach much beyond coast until the nineteenth century a. but Swahili region traded with the interior, had an impact b. trade with interior for gold led to emergence of Great Zimbabwe (flourished in 1250–1350 C.E.) IV. Sand Exchange across the Sahara A. Commercial Beginnings in West Africa 1. trans-African trade was also based on environmental variation a. North Africa manufactured goods b. Sahara had copper and salt deposits, dates c. agricultural peoples further south grew crops, produced textiles, mined gold 2. earliest trade in the region was among agricultural peoples in the Sudan a. emergence of urban clusters in the early centuries C.E.
chapter_7_outline_and_key_terms.docx