African Cultures
- Created by: LeksiCameron
- Created on: 27-10-21 19:17
Egypt, Nubia & Ethiopia
The origins of Egypt, Nubia and Ethiopia can be attributed to the Late Stone Age [LSA], dating to c. 5000 BCE
Geographical matters -
Physical:
- Climate & Cataracts -->
- First cataract is called Aswan
- Environment & climate more desert like in Egypt than Nubia
--> Catraracts = spots in the river where it gets rocky and one can no longer travel along it
Cultural:
- Race & Ethnicity -->
- Material cultural evidence = Nubians bringing tribute, Tomb of Huy dating to c. 1330 BCE
Egypt, Nubia & Ethiopia
Origins of Civilisation:
One of the questions at hand in regards to the situation is: what is Egypt? Is Egypt a Western civilisation?
- One argument on the other end of the debate this question raises suggests that Egypt is the origin of African civilisation {Afrocentrism}
- A book suggestion for this is: "Nations negres et culture" written by Cheikh Anta Diop
... But first... what is civilisation?
- Features:
- Urbanism
- Social specialisation
- Shared "high culture" {i.e., writing, art, architecture}
- Religion ideology
All this brings in the question of whether we should measure African societies with Western "yardstick in terms of social complexity? {Eurocentrism}
Egypt, Nubia & Ethiopia
Egypt - Timeline:
- Badarian Culture (c.4500 - 4000 BCE)
- Agro-pastoral society similar to those noted in Nubia at this same time
- Predynastic Period (3800 - 3100 BCE)
- Urbanisation in Upper Egypt --> site = brewery at Hierakonpolis
- Elite power at Hierakonpolis shown through agricultural bount and cattle symbolism
- Material culture = Dynasty 0 - macehead of King Scorpion
- Unification of Egypt by Narmer {by Kierakonpolis}
- Old Kingdom (2680 - 2134 BCE)
- Religious ideology as seen at the likes of the pantheon and divine rule
- This is the time the pyramids were being built
- Middle Kingdom (2040 - 1640 BCE)
- Bureaucratic state {urbaism}
- Fortified broder with Nubia to the south
- Wanting to take control of Nubian resources {i.e., take the gold over trade for it}
- Time period focuses more on taxation that pyramid building
Egypt, Nubia & Ethiopia
Egypt - Timeline, Continued:
- New Kingdom (1550 - 1070 BCE)
- Conquest and trade with Nubia and Ethiopia
- Example: Hatshepsut's expedition to the Land of Punt
- Conquest and trade with Nubia and Ethiopia
- Decline (1070 - 332 BCE)
- Successive incursions by outside states such as the Kushites, Assyrians, Greeks, etc.
Egypt, Nubia & Ethiopia
Nubia - Timeline:
- The Qustul State (3800 - 3100 BCE)
- A-Group cemeteries --> social stratitification is similar to that of Predynastic Egypt which dates to the same time
- Bruce Williams = Site of Qustul with an incense burner which depicts a burial ceremony heading into a palace like building and (the most controversial element) a white crown which is typically associated with Predynastic and Old Kingdom Egypt as well as a Falcon Deity
- Kerma (2400 - 1500 BCE)
- Deffufa --> The oldest temple in sub-Saharan Africa, though this is up for debate, part of an urban centre, believed to be part of a palce, monumental type building
- Middle Kerma shows evidence of elite burial
- Evidence of keeping H-G traditions, showing still a connection with the past
- Classic Kerma shows an elite burial suggesting 'advancement' --> ruler buried with human skeletons rather than cattle {links to Nabta Playa burial}
- Diplomatic relations with Egypt in northern regions, with Nubians controling their gold resources
Egypt, Nubia & Ethiopia
Nubia - Timeline, Continued:
- Kerma (1500 - 1100 BCE)
- Subjugated by New Kingdom Egypt
- Evidence of stele being erected to state taxation of Nubians and ocntrol of the gold resources
- Subjugated by New Kingdom Egypt
- Kingdom of Kush: Napatan Period (900 - 300 BCE)
- Assimilation fo Egyptian ideology
- Site example = Jebel Barkal (Napata)
- Site example = Jebel Barkal (Napata)
- Assimilation fo Egyptian ideology
- Kingdom of Kush: Meroitic Period (300 BCE - 300 CE)
- Example site includes pyramid tombs
- Exuberance of economic specialisation, with evidence of industrial scale iron-working from 600 BCE
- Suggested contact with the Hittites in what is now modern day Turkey
- Trade focuses on prestige goods {refered to as "high culture" - necessary for a city state}
- Trade with Egypt and stylistic importance as well as trade with Mediterranean world and regions further south in Africa
Egypt, Nubia & Ethiopia
Ethiopia - Timeline:
- D'MT (c.1000 - 500 BCE)
- Agro-pastoralism established in the highland region
- D'MT is lcoated between Kush and Sheba {D'MT is actually Damot but vowel were not necessary}
- Geography = defensible plateaus
- Capital established at Yeha {pronounces Yee-Ha} showing urban influences from southern Arabia
- Similar time as Kishite kings invaded Egypt
- Evidence of all this comes from archaeological evidence such as stone slabs with Saba'an {Sheba} royal inscriptions
- Aksum (100 - 960 CE)
- Urban centre at crossroads of maritime and overland trade routes
- Adulis port city of antiquity on the Red sea with links to Memphis, Petra, Jerusalem, Mecca, Bernice, Thebes, Meroe, Aden, Malao, Aksum & Zeila
- Urban centre at crossroads of maritime and overland trade routes
Egypt, Nubia & Ethiopia
Ethiopoa - Timeline, Continued:
- Aksum (100 - 960 BCE), Continued
- Territorial expansion to control tarde and demand tribute
- Aksum stele marks a royal burial which was later taking by Italians during colonial era and repatriated to modern day Ethiopia
- Excavations at Aksumite town of Beta Samati
- Coins minted by Aksumite rulers
- Coins depict series of rulers and allows for form chronological timeline of elites during this time
- It is understood that the coins were used for trade with non-local imports [i.e., glass beads from the Mediterranean world and Amphorae specifically from the Roman world]
- Basilica excavated at the town of Beta Samati
- Christian place of worship, specially a type of Church which isn't all to surprising due to trade with the Romans after the establishement of Christianity after the council of Nicaea
- Coins minted by Aksumite rulers
- Territorial expansion to control tarde and demand tribute
Egypt, Nubia & Ethiopia
Ethiopia - Timeline, Continued
- Aksum (100 - 960 CE), Continued
- Ge'ez inscription which translates to "Christ be favourable to us" suggests the inferance of a prayer therefore denotes local development by the ancient Ethiopians
- It is important to recognise that, even though, Christianity was being adopted in the Aksum area, that was being done in a very localised way
- People in Aksum did not replace their previous religious ideology with that of Christian doctorine, but moreso integrated it into their lifestyles which already existed
- Elites are noted to having adopted the practices more rapidly then commoners as shown archaeologically with Rock-hewn church in Lalibela dating from 1100 - 1200s CE
---> Overall, Afrocentrism today states that Egypt is the primordial geneis of African civilisations today and is essentially the cradle of modern civilisation; bringing in the argument of civilisation vs. globalisation as development of Nubian and Ethiopian 'civilisations' are linked to global networks {i.e., Babylonia, Elam, Assyria, Egypt & Dilmun}
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