F, Dec 3

Friday, December 03, 2010 Important Dates:

11:01 AM 

Today's Topics: Important People:

 Africa 

Lecture Topic:
During the lecture, take notes here.
-Empire of Ghana
-sub-Saharan
-Africa is a pre-literate society
-as a result we know little about the development of empires
-organized itself into a highly structured kingdom between 790-1060
-raids by the Berbers catalyzed the formation of the empire, as a means of throwing off
external threats
-the king ruled by divine right
-however, the Ghana Empire was polytheistic, not monotheistic; and simultaneously
organized by clans ruled by the priest caste
-the king was responsible for security and justice, but functioned as the intermediary
between the heavens and the gods
-extremely important c800 when Islam enters the territory through the context of
trade
-unlike conquested northern Africa by Islam, there is a blending of religious ideals in
the empire; coexisting with polytheism
-functioned as a major trading hub
-Africa is one of the major reasons Europe moves towards the West
-Africa has one of the largest gold repositories in the world
-trade routes are based around the gold fields
-also trade in animal products, tropical foods, and slaves
-nearly 75% of the population were slaves, even before Europeans arrived
-Ghana becomes the lynchpin of the "African silk road"
-allowed to operate and function not because of the growth of shipping but
rather the domestication of the camel
-because of Islam, sub-Saharan Africa enters into the world economy
-Islam provides a single, legal trading network from China to Ghana, from
northern Europe to sub-Saharan Africa
-Islam spreads through Africa comparatively slowly because conquest is not
used extensively, particularly because of the difficulty in crossing the Saharan
desert
-the Almoravid tribe, spreading south along the western coast of Africa, allows
for Islamic missionaries to spread into sub-Saharan Africa, trying to convert
the kings of the southern African empires
-syncretic culture of Islamic influence on Africa
-the Mosque of Djenne, 13th C.
-reflective, stylistically, of traditional Islamic art
-reflective, practically, of traditional African architecture
-expansion of the Mali Empire
-could engage in trade both through the sea and through the Saharan desert, allowing for
an incredible expansion in wealth
-could engage in an internal trading network by establishing large cities along the Niger

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 -could engage in an internal trading network by establishing large cities along the Niger
River
-could increase the fortune of the empire through the efforts of King Mansa Musa
(1312-1337)
-converted to Islam
-sees himself no longer as a local king, but possible and potential leader in the
Islamic world
-gives special privileges and status to Muslims living within his society
-wants to consider himself a traditional world leader by establishing the city of
Timbuktu as a major intellectual center in western Africa
-by 1550, had 180 schools
-interested in creating a series of state-funded mosques to influence the conversion
of the people
-extremely interested in developing arts and sciences
-could possibly hold many lost treatises from Aristotle and Plato

-kingdom of Axum
-large Jewish population, became the natural gathering place for large numbers of Christian
missionaries
-Ethiopian kingdoms were largely taken by monotheism
-generally remain a Christian kingdom, despite proximity to Mecca and Medina
-the rise and organization of Ethiopia primarily resides within its own
-internal Christian identity
-willingness to confront Islam's expansion head-on
-it is Christianity in Africa that develops outside of the control of the papacy
-has very strong doctrinal differences between the two groups
-Virgin Mary has a very strong influence on the Ethiopians, even becoming in the peoples'
minds a semi-divine queen
-in Ethiopia, a different set of gospels are used than those found in the north, emphasizing
the divinity of Jesus versus his humanity
-Europe, when it hears of the large Christian nation, begins to think of Ethiopia as an ally in the
Crusades

-Ibn-Battuta (1304-1369)
-he decided to go travel the world after he made his wealth as a merchant
-explores much of the known world, generally the Muslim controlled territories
-does not explore Europe
-for lack of a better term, he is the Muslim Marco Polo

Summary
After the lecture, summarize the main points of this lecture topic.
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