Africa pic

Africa Unit

  • 3500 BCE

    Civilizations Rise

    Civilizations Rise
    During this time, civilization focused on what is called surplus agriculture. They expanded based on trade and distributing "collected wealth".
    Agriculture provided food. Which allowed for their population to grow. What started with 4 million people on Earth, grew to 100 million people, just like that. And with the help of agriculture.
  • 3100 BCE

    Egyptian Old Kingdom

    Egyptian Old Kingdom
    This was when Menes united the upper and lower Egypt. This was also when the idea that Pharaohs were considered gods and the existence of other gods and goddesses. This shares some common ideas with other regions, like the East Asia, who also are polytheistic. After five centuries of this, leaders started to break free of Pharaoh, which led to the decline of the Old Kingdom.
  • 2040 BCE

    Egyptian Middle Kingdom

    Egyptian Middle Kingdom
    After 120 years of chaos this leads to reunifying Egypt as a whole. Pharaohs are reestablished their authority. However, after the first time failed when they saw Pharaohs as gods, during the Middle Kingdom, Pharaohs were seen as father figures leading Egypt.
  • 1919 BCE

    First Immediate Period

    First Immediate Period
    This was when Egypt struggled for about the next 121 years. Many "Pharaohs" rose and fell from power. This was also a moment in time when the people started seeing that pharaohs were not, indeed, god-like. Over these years, 140 different rulers tried to claim position of "pharaoh" but failed until finally a dynasty was able to stabilize Egypt back to normal.
  • 1200 BCE

    "Iron Man Age"

    "Iron Man Age"
    This was when ironworking started getting popular back in West Africa. This was also a moment in which things started getting a little more sophisticated. However, without the agricultural phase, there would have been no "Iron Man Age".
  • 332 BCE

    Alexander the Great Arrives in Egypt

    Alexander the Great Arrives in Egypt
    Alexander the Great arrives in Egypt just as the Egyptians had finished up with the Persians and accepted him with open arms. They became allies with Alexander. And even went as far as believing he was a god and giving him a title of pharaoh. Many of those who were with him were very disappointed.
  • 301

    Kingdom of Ghana

    Kingdom of Ghana
    Ghana was a place where gold trade was made. With these trades, there came a lot of wealth into Ghana. by the 10th century, Ghana became Islamic and it helped them with merchants around them. However, after running into nomadic people they kingdom became weakened because of raiding in the kingdom.
  • 1000

    The Bantu Expand

    The Bantu Expand
    The Bantu expand into opportunities and more complex forms of government. Two chiefs came from this named Ife and Benin. Their kingdoms become known as the "forest kingdom"
  • 1494

    Treaty of Tordesillas

    Treaty of Tordesillas
    Spain and Portugal were very competitive. So much, that they were at the verge of going to war. Instead, Alexander came up with the Treaty of Tordesillas, which divided their worlds. The Spanish dominated most of the americas, and the Portuguese had control over the Atlantic slave trade.
  • England Outlaws Slave Trade

    England Outlaws Slave Trade
    The start towards the ending of slavery began in the 18th century. England makes the decision to end slave trade and get rid of slavery, once and for all. In order to enforce their laws, they posted navy ships on the coasts and sent back any slave ships that they caught.