Sources and importance of history
1.1.1 Meaning and importance
History - A branch of study that deals with the events and technological development of human beings throughout time, or the record of human activities
1.1.2 Sources of history
Sources of history - Oral tradition, archaeology, archives, museums, written records
1.2.0 Evolution of man, technology and environment
1.2.1 Evolution of man
Order of Ages
Early Stone Age - Began around 2.6 million years ago
- Homo Habilis and Zinjanthropus appear
- Wood and bone tools are used (crude tools)
- Lived a nomadic life as hunter/gatherers
Middle Stone Age - Ended around 50,000 BC
- Discovery of fire
- Development of sharper, smaller, portable tools
- Emergence of social and ethnic groups
Late Stone Age - Began around 50,000 BC to 3,300 BC
- Neolithic Revolution occurs
- Beginning of farming and domestication of animals
- Beginning of permanent settlement
Bronze Age - 3,300 BC until 1,200 BC
- Military technology develops, Empires begin
Iron Age - 1,200 BC until 400 AD
- Trade and Empires come to dominate human activities
Stages of human evolution
1. Australopithecus Africus – Zinjanthropus - Early ancestors of man
2. Homo Habilis - The tool maker
3. Homo Erectus - Standing upright
4. Homo Sapiens - Modern man (Homo Sapiens Sapiens)
Changes in humanity’s way of life during the late stone age (Neolithic) in Africa - Man used tools with better efficiency, tools were sharper/lighter/smaller, increased production because of better/efficient tools, man started to live in an area permanently instead of living nomadically, cultivation of food began, family life was more stable with the formation of villages, began era of division of labor by class/gender/age/wealth, population growth, fishing began, skilled craftsmen/traders emerge
Dryopithecus/Procensul did not become hominids; they developed into apes like gibbons
Venyopithecus and Ramapithecus became hominids
Man started to be a skillful toolmaker at the stage of Homo Habilis
By 1000AD iron technology began to appear widely in East Africa
Iron technology revolutionized agriculture
With fire and iron tools, man was able to clear large forests for farming
Some of the tools made from iron were spears, hoes and axes
Nok, Axum and Meroe were famous areas for iron smelting
Iron tools contributed to economic specialization
Iron tools increased military operations and expansions of states up through the 19th century
The growth and expansion of the Songhai Empire was a result of the development of iron technology
Early Stone Age sites in East Africa are located at Rusinga island, Olorgesailie, and Olduvai Gorge
1.3.0 Development of economic activities and their impact
1.3.1 Agriculture
Agriculture - The action by humans of keeping animals as well as the cultivation of crops
Effects of agriculture on humanity - Permanent settlement, population grew, specialization of activities, trade and physical activities
1.3.2 Handicrafts, industries and mining in pre-colonial Africa
Important types of industries in pre-colonial times - Basket making, pottery, iron smelting, tool making, mining
1.3.3 Trade in pre-colonial Africa
Types of trade - Local, long distance
Local Trade - Trade which involves people within the same general location or within the same ethnic group
Long Distance Trade - Trade between people from different locations or different ethnic groups (ex. trans-Saharan trade)
Trade items involved in the Trans-Saharan trade - Animal skins, gold, kola nuts, beeswax, ivory, salt
Reasons for the development of the Trans-Saharan trade - Availability of trade items, use of camels as transport, political stability, fertile soil in North and West Africa, leadership (Sundiata/Mansa Musa), conquest by Arabs, emergence of kingdoms, Islam, trust between Berbers and westerners
Effects of the Trans-Saharan trade - Introduction of new goods (silk, camels, beads), development of towns (Timbuktu/Jenne), spreading of Islam, development of education, states grew (Mali, Ghana, Songhai), Western Sudan lost a lot of wealth, stimulated the development of agriculture, spread of technical skills, intermarriages
Why the Trans-Saharan trade collapsed - Suspicion and mistrust among Arabs/Berbers/Africans, war in North Africa, colonialism, the triangular trade (Trans Atlantic trade), industrial revolution in Europe
Commodities from East Africa - Ivory, gold, copper, leopard skins, tortoise shells, rhinoceros horns, slaves
Tribes involved with the Long Distance Trade (LDT) in East Africa-
- Kamba, Baganda, Kikuyu, Banyoro traded along northern routes
- Arabs/Swahili along the Eastern Coast
- Nyamwezi in the central route
- Yao along the southern route
1.4.0 Development of social and political systems
1.4.1 Kinship or clan organization
Kinship (Clan) - Refers to a group of families in a tribe that share common ancestors
Clan Heads - The leader of a clan
Roles of clan heads - Controlled major means of production, provided guidance to members of the clan, arranging marriages, presiding over religious ceremonies, settle disputes, protect ethics/norms/rituals
Matrilineal Society - A society which is governed by women
Matrilineal Societies in East Africa - Kamba, Kikuyu, Makonde, Mwera
Patrilineal Society - A society which is governed by men
1.4.2 Age-set system
Age-Set System - A kind of socio-political organization which is based on age and sex. It was the dominant form to organization in pastoral societies (ex. Maasai, Nyakusa, Khoikhoi)
Example of Age-Set system - The Maasai
Children (1-8, Layoin) - Not directly involved in production
Youth (8-18) - Responsible for grazing animals and milking cattle, assisted by women
Moran (18-35) - Responsible for defending the society
Laibon (35+) - Elders in society who settle disputes and make important decisions (war, marriage)
1.4.3 Ntemiship
Ntemiship - A type of state which is characterized by being made up of separated groups. The word is derived from kutema, which means to split apart. The most well known tribe which used this system were the Nyamwezi
Mtemi - The name given to the leader who organized the activities which opened up new land and who controlled the people (ex. usukuma, unyamwezi, ukimbu, ugogo)
1.4.4 State organization
Factors for the rise of the ancient Egyptian states - The development of agriculture and pastoralism, specialization of labour, development of productive forces, war and conquest, growth of industry, growth of town
The role played by Islam in the formation or transformation of states in pre-colonial West Africa - Brought villages and cities together, villagers left indigenous religions for Islam, writing was introduced, birth of democratic Islamic rule instead of autocratic Hausa states, led to formation of Mandinka/Sokoto caliphate states, led to formation of African nationalism in West Africa
Explain the factors for the rise and decline of the Bunyoro – Kitara Kingdom. - Rise: Good leadership, good climatic conditions, agricultural production which facilitated trade, conquering other states, Decline: Conquered by other states, disunity among factions, weak army, poor leadership
Centralized western Sudanic states were mostly expanded by conquest
The Kangaba developed into the Mali Empire
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