The history of ancient black Africa ~ quick search

The African continent is one of the earliest regions to enter the threshold of civilization. Due to the barrier between the Sahara desert and the sea and the limitation of complex terrain, the development of civilization in most parts of black Africa is relatively slow. Northeast Africa maintained close communication with ancient Egyptian civilization and ancient West Asian civilization, so a highly developed ancient civilization was formed earlier.

Schematic diagram of ancient black African civilization

Sub-Saharan Africa is generally called "black Africa". The ancient civilization here can be traced back to the Stone Age 1 10,000 years ago, and people in some areas learned to use bronzes at least 3,000 years ago. In the long-term development of ancient black African civilization, several regional centers such as West Africa, Northeast Africa and South Africa have been formed.

Meroth and aksum.

Meroi civilization in the northeast of Africa is the representative of the ancient civilization in the upper and middle reaches of the Nile. It began in 590 BC and ended in the middle of the 4th century. It belongs to the Meroi period of Kush civilization, which embodies the unique cultural characteristics of Kush civilization and represents the achievements of Kush civilization in its heyday.

Bronze heads of ancient African kings

The word "Kush" is a general term of the ancient Egyptians for the area south of the first waterfall of the Nile, which is equivalent to the middle reaches of the Nile in Sudan and northern China today. Kush Kingdom was founded around 2000 BC, and it was the first country in the history of ancient black Africa.

Kush civilization was deeply influenced by ancient Egyptian civilization. The political system, mode of production and religious beliefs of Kush Kingdom were originally imitated by Egypt. From about16th century BC to the beginning of 1 1 century BC, Egyptian pharaohs also established direct rule in the kingdom of Kush.

After the beginning of 1 1 century BC, the kingdom of Cushi became stronger and stronger. In 730 BC, it conquered Egypt and established the 25th dynasty (also known as the Cushi dynasty) in the history of ancient Egypt. In 656 BC, the rule of Kush Kingdom in Egypt ended. In 590 BC, Kushi Kingdom moved its capital to Mero, and Kushi civilization entered the Mero period.

The Kush people in Meloy period were famous for their developed iron smelting industry. Meloy was the largest iron smelting center in the southern Mediterranean at that time, and was later called "Birmingham in ancient Africa". Up to now, there are nearly 30-meter-high scrap iron piles and furnaces for smelting and casting tools on its site. Gold mining is a traditional industry of Kush people. During the Mero period, the amount of gold mining in Kushi surged and became one of the main gold producing areas in the ancient world. Pottery is one of the most famous products of Meroi civilization. Its production quality is good and its shapes are diverse, which embodies the traditional African style. Kush agriculture has entered the stage of artificial irrigation. In addition to traditional crops, the Kuxi people have been planting cotton since the 4th century BC, making Meroe the birthplace of cotton planting in the Nile Valley. Merroet is located in the transportation hub between the Nile, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and Lake Chad, and has trade with Greece, Rome, Arabia and India.

Melody is a simplified hieroglyphic, which was founded in the 2nd century BC. Although its font comes from hieroglyphics in ancient Egypt, its letter principle comes from Greek. In 350 AD, after the kingdom of Kush was destroyed by the kingdom of aksum, Meroe was no longer used. Due to the unclear attribution of Meroe, most of its documents have not been interpreted so far.

The stone pillars in aksum are engraved with the inscription "King of Kings".

A stone tablet engraved with Meroi characters.

Another ancient civilization in northeast Africa is the Ethiopian aksum civilization today. This is a mixed civilization developed under the influence of various civilization factors, which is always related to the rise and fall of the Kingdom of aksum.

The Kingdom of aksum rose around A.D. and is located at the traffic hub connecting the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean. Immigrants and business trips from all directions have greatly promoted the integration of different civilizations. Aksum civilization is gradually formed and developed in the process of communication among various civilizations.

The Kingdom of aksum, named after its capital, aksum, is the earliest ethnic organization in Ethiopian ancient history. Since the 3rd century, the Kingdom of aksum has expanded its periphery. From the 4th century to the 6th century, the kingdom of aksum reached its peak, and in 350, the kingdom of Kush in Meroi was destroyed. After the 8th century, the kingdom of aksum declined gradually.

Aksum civilization has shown its own characteristics in eclecticism. In the economic activities of aksum people, foreign trade was highly prosperous, and the Kingdom of aksum was a first-class world trade power at that time.

Along the Red Sea, the Kingdom of aksum has dozens of ports, and maintains extensive trade relations with Egypt, Syria, Persia, India, Arabia, Greece, Italy and Africa. Correspondingly, the shipbuilding industry in the Kingdom of aksum is also very developed.

Aksum's round-headed stone tablet

In order to meet the needs of commercial trade, aksum people began to use metal coins in the 3rd century, becoming the first country in black Africa to make their own metal coins.

Aksum's megalithic architecture is also a must, and its superb skills are fully reflected in the construction of palaces and castles. The round-headed tablet carved with a whole boulder is one of the symbols of aksum civilization. This kind of stone tablet is built to commemorate the deceased, and its different architectural styles often represent the different identities of the deceased before his death.

Greater Zimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe culture is an outstanding representative of ancient civilization in southern black Africa, named after a group of ancient megalithic buildings. The complex was built in the 4th and 5th centuries, and some Bantu kingdoms have been established around it. After many times of reconstruction or expansion, it reached its peak in 14 and 15 centuries.

The word "Zimbabwe" comes from the Shawna language, which means "stone building" or "stone city". Great zimbabwe ruins is located in what is now the Zimbabwean Republic. It is the capital of ancient Zimbabwe built by Shona people and the cultural center of Greater Zimbabwe. The site complex is divided into two parts: one is the Acropolis, which is built on the top of a granite mountain about 700 meters high and is a solid defensive fortress; Second, the inner city, built in the valley below the mountain, is an oval city surrounded by stone walls. Around it, there are still remains of ancient terraces, canals and wells.

Stone Town Ruins in Greater Zimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe culture includes Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique, eastern Botswana and northern South Africa. Besides great zimbabwe ruins, more than 500 similar stone buildings have been found in this area. At the end of15th century or the beginning of16th century, the ancient country of Zimbabwe suddenly collapsed, and the culture of Great Zimbabwe also declined.