The first great African civilisations (apart from Egypt) grew up in Nubia (today northern Sudan around 2000 BC.
Known as the KUSH kingdom.
Around 300 BC., Meroe on the river Nile became the Kush capital and an important centre of iron-working.
Also an other iron-working centre developed in West Africa, northern Nigeria (today),
in about 600 BC. These people, known as the NOK, mined iron and used it to make tools, farming tools, spears and arrowheads.
The NOK were also known for their Clay sculptures.
The NOK smelted iron ore in a pit furnace made of clay. Potters used furnaces to fire their Clay sculptures.
The trade in the IFE and BENIN kingdoms made
powerful rulers rich.
Craft-workers of BENIN where stilled in metalworking, the finest metal sculptures in Africa.
The people of BENIN traded with the PORTUGUESE when their ships began sailing along the West African coast in the 1400s.
AFRICAN EMPIRES and KINGDOMS in 1500
Africa at this time, was a continent with many kingdoms.
The strongest was Muslim kingdom of SONGHAI.
It controlled trade across Sahara desert.
AXUM Kingdom (Read More)In northeast Africa, the kingdom of AXUM grow as a main trading country. (today in Ethiopia)The main goods were spices, ivory and incence. Major trading partners were Egypt, Arabia and Persia.It became by the end of the 5th century AD a mainly Christian kingdom.
The Islamic kingdom of MALI replaced Ghana as West Africa`s most powerful empire.
The fame of Mali`s ruler Mansa Musa, sread to Europe. The Mali kingdom was shown on maps as a land glittering with gold.
Another Muslim kingdom was KANEM-BORNU.
It thrived on trade between northern and southern Africa. To the east, the Christian kingdom of Ethiopia lay in the heard of a Muslim Africa.
1100 AD the GREAT ZIMBABWE KINGDOM arise.
The settlement of ZIMBABWE in southern Africa was build over 400 years.
The walled citadel of GREAT ZIMBABWE was used by rulers as administrative centre. Around 1450 at the peak, this prosperous kingdom was major centre
of religion, politic and trade.
The Zimbabwe people used copper and iron, traded in gold.
By 1500 the civilisation, that build Zimbabwe was in decline.
