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70 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Niger Delta dates
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400AD-1650s AD
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Niger Delta modern day location
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Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast
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Niger River
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3900 miles of river including main channel and tributaries
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Niger Delta environmental realities
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1.soil in Niger floodplain is 2nd most fertile soil
world's most fertile tropical soil --> become the world;s most sophisticated tropical farmers 2. greatest supply of gold in the old world. (2nd globally) 3. crossroads of trade 4. negative- lacks common everyday salt which is needed to preserve food and bodily fluids -in a tropical zone, an average person would need 6-7x more salt than in a temperate zone (like gatorade) |
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InSalah
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an oasis 800 mi north of Timbuktu in the Sahara desert in Algeria
-if you mine under the earth there are SALT pans |
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Mediterranean Cities
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800 mi north of InSalah, cities along the coast of the Med Sea
-mixture of the indigenous Berbers, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans -some very wealthy families who send camel caravans to InSalah starting in 400AD |
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Camel Caravan to Insalah and Timbuktu
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several hundred camels
each camel needs one person light loads to go pick up salt they bring a lot of slaves from the North African coast -slaves were sold into slavery after being kidnapped by pirates on the Mediterranean Sea the life expectancy for a slave who works InSalah is 6 months the caravans then go down to Timbuktu and sell salt for gold 3200 mile round trip- 5 1/2 years trip time constant caravans being sent out |
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Gold from the Niger Delta
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400-1650 AD
Europe is getting 25% of its gold from ND Middle East 50% Asia 33% |
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3 different ND states:
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1. Ghana 400-1100
2. Mali 1100-1400 3. Sunghai 1400-1650 same site different political entities at different times |
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Trans-Saharan Gold for Salt Trade
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the caravans trade salt for gold with the silent trade
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Gold location
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located in the Eastern tributaries of the Niger river
500-600 mi from Niger Delta to tributaries with gold |
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Soninke tribe
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control the gold!
they know how to extract the gold and how to purify the gold -gold metallurgy they pan for gold - fast river w/ sift and catch gold nuggets they master gold panning |
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Gold Metallurgy
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the Sinonke mastered gold metallurgy
as did the Lydians as did the Inca sometimes a skill has to be discovered/mastered by different groups autonomously |
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Soninke's problem
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they are militarily weak --> if they shared their knowledge they would become insignificant
--> set up silent trade |
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Silent Trade
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wealthy bankers and merchants from Sub-Sahara desert load up barges of slat and travel down the river
-they can not see past the dense wall of vegetation of the tropical forest -they reach a human-made clearing and dock the boat -they unload their piles of salt and leave the clearing -signal to sinonke by drums --> west african drumming is most sophisticated in world "speaking drums" -soninke come into clearing and find salt in huge mounds and they put small amount of gold for each mound -merchants proceed to 'bargain' by taking away some salt for however much they are willing to give for the gold that has been offered -bargain for days -once they feel they have a 'good deal' they leave -last signal is to caution when they next barges will arrive |
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Nature of the caravan/barges trade
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constant conveyor belt
glitches in the gold flow are disastrous for international business |
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role of the Mali, Ghana, Sunghai
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middle men
they provide the site for the trade they provide protection from the fierce warrior tribes located at the edge of the Sahara desert 200 mi north of floodplain, they coerce the traveling caravans to go through their city and pay taxes otherwise if you were caught the whole caravan was slaughtered and put on display |
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Timbuktu
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cultural center- trading center
the caravans pay import taxes on salt and export taxes on gold use this money to train the army that protects/coerces |
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Intellectual life
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mostly Mali and Sunghai reign
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850-900AD
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the cities along the Med coast become Moslem because of the Jihad holy wars
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1312 Mansa Musa
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Mali King
embraces Islam --> Everyone in kingdom changes faith and becomes Moslem for the next 3 centuries this area is a major intellectual center of the moslem center -Great mosque in Timbuktu |
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Great Mosque in Timbuktu
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similar to cathedral in catholicism
1.takes centuries to build because of architectural design, etc. 2. Becomes intellectual center as it searched the world for great thinkers to take residence there called Ulema-includes scientists and inventors |
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Middle America dates
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1000BC-1519AD
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why 1519?
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end of civilization as a result of the introductions of the common cold which was not indigenous to the people of Middle America
-as a result of the landing of Cortes |
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Locations of Middle America
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1. Valley of Mexico
2. Yucatan |
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Valley of Mexico environmental advantage
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mountains surrounding Valley of Mexico were once filled with very dry, very fertile soil (500 sq miles)
8-10th most fertile soil in the ancient world |
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Valley of Mexico weather
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8 weeks a year- heavy rains which makes gravity cause mudslides and earth slides
brings the soil to the valley floor the rest of the year it is very dry |
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Valley of Mexico inhabitants
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Tultecs 1000BC-500AD
Aztecs 500AD-1519 |
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Tultec Achievements
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domesticated:
1. Maize 2. Manioc pyramids |
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Maize
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corn digestible by humans
can grow in range of soils from fertile-mediocre -->b/c of range of combination of dry soil + rainfall qualities maize can grow from Canada to the bottom of S. America One of the largest ranges of area occupied by a staple -->allowed the N. Americans to become sedentary |
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Manioc
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relative of the potato
a crop growing underground is not as susceptible to environment Manioc can be edible after 18 months without being cared for--> doesnt fail frost-free crop-cannot be planted in soil that has frost at any time |
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Tultec agriculture
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grow equal amounts of maize and manioc
--> technically only civilization without a staple |
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Tultec Architecture
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pyramids were carbon copies of Egyptian pyramids
so identical in appearance that it cannot be coincidence 1956- remains of wooden boat found along Gulf of Mexico- Phoenician sailing vessel |
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Aztecs
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500AD- Valley of Mexico invaded by Aztecs
975AD- introduced the plow to Valley of Mexico Aztecs had one of the most extensive empires of all the N. American people |
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Aztec empire
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conquered from Valley of Mexico
northward to S.W. America south to venezuela and colombia --> collective knowledge of the Valley of Mexico spreads to conquered people of entire region |
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Yucatan peninsula
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200 BC-700AD
Mayans no known environmental advantage no crossroads of trade coastal desert + rainforest written hieroglyphics cannot be translated |
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Artifacts
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whatever people made from a particular group or civilization- used to piece together their story
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Mayan religion
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assumption:
civilization driven by religious purpose- fled some already established center of civilization --> would not need an environmental advantage b/c they already posses this knowledge to jumpstart their civilizing activities and surplus etc Tultec records indicate large groups of people left valley of mexico for religious reasons |
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Mayan architecture
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1950s oil geologists discovered ruins of buildings made out of limestone
mayans had no other resource to make buildings limestone is susceptible to rain erosion -most advanced works of architecture were temples with sacrifice altars -in the folk housing they found shattered pots that would be waist high |
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mayan pots/art
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waist high pots used to store grains, cloth, paper, etc.
the materials wont spoil because the pots wont allow moisture in -they are advanced works of art --> shows they had great surplus of labor |
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mayan art
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visual representations of what kind of cloth they made, religious ceremonies, occupations, etc
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Mayan's achievements
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art
Mathematics, astronomy able to decipher how they counted by their artifacts achievements: -earth orbited sun -6 planets including earth -drew them in proportion -mapped stars -they calculated the correct length of a year 365 1/4 --> should be considered greatest math accomplishments |
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Andes dates
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2500 BC-1519 AD
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Andes location
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Andes mountain range
western S. America from north to south 5800 miles long 2nd greatest mountain range in peak height and area covered |
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Altiplanos
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little pockets, isolated with a flat land high up in the mountains
13000-18000 ft roughly 40 altiplanos that held settlements spread across the 5800 miles |
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original Altiplano settlements
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wanted to settle near previously volcanic peaks b/c they had highly fertile soil
-put their crops on the slopes close to the altiplano 12000-14000 ft. 8-12 furrows totally around the mountain -14000-16000 ft folk housing -16000-19000 llama grazing -19000 + where the snow fields and glaciers lay |
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folk housing for Inca
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built out of rock and rock ruble which is plentiful along the mountain slopes
walls several feet thick to protect from wind roof made out of thatch (dry, woven ichu grass) -solid enough to keep out snow/rain -but breathable enough to let the smoke from the fire out |
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Ichu grass
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made the thatch roofs
above the housing below the snow fields the food of the grazing llamas THE KEY TO INCA CIVILIZATION |
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snow fields
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they build furrows down to the agricultural section to drain the melting snow to irrigate the cultigens
rely on gravity serves as another environmental advantage |
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cattle raisers/ farmers
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most important occupation in incas
you were both a farmer and a rancher everyone else was a lower class |
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other occupations
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did their business on the altiplano
sign of lower status spanish misinterpreted this status discrepancy |
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population explosion and effects
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when they had a population explosion as all civilizations do, they first found and settled all the other altiplanos in the andes. only after that did they begin to settle on the flat land instead of the slopes
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Cultigens
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upland mountain maize and upland mountain manioc
also grew cotton-->textile industry |
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metals/metallurgy master
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gold
silver platinum nickel zinc |
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inca infrastructure
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after they expanded across the andes
they made a network of roads for travel and communication network narrow footpaths wide enough for llama caravans carrying goods + military excavations |
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1100AD
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Incan King mandated a specialization of labor for the different communities
highly specialized-one community only does one thing and trades with the rest to get the rest of their resources specialization --> master the skill --> each settlement becomes dependent on the other other settlements requires complicated transfer of goods across the mountain range following this occurs the golden age |
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why did the spanish go into the mountains?
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they were looking for gold since the non-mountain people said there were great metals in there
the spanish were desperate for a replacement of the niger delta gold source |
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Atlantic Slave Trade dates
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1500-1800
same time of the age of exploration |
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Age of Exploration
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1500s-1800s
-right before Europe reached its domestic saturation -could not develop further economically without finding new markets -went out to find new markets, new ways to known markets (india) -not for cultural discovery, for economic achievements/growth and business developments |
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Coast of West Africa
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for travel to India, explorers had to go down the coast of West Africa
3800 mi of coast only 24/25 natural sea ports dangerous waters Euro corporations claim the harbors + use to resupply ships --> resupply stations |
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European corporation harbors
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recruit 150-200 skilled young men from home country
-skilled in seafarer crafts -pay them 3-4x the regular wage -contract 3-5 years |
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Factors prohibiting exploration in West Africa
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-do not know how to navigate
-Warrior tribes -Malaria Belt aka White Man's Grave -average life expectancy for anyone to enter into this region is 6 months - 70% die - no treatment for malaria |
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Those that traveled to Timbuktu...
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were disappointed because the gold was running out
but they realize the surrounding civilization is most advanced tropical farmers |
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Trade Winds in the Americas
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blow from the east coast of Brazil up the coast into middle america and the caribbean and then into the east coast of north america
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Bonds
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Euro corporations would enter into bonds with warrior tribes. Exchange modern fire arms with the warrior tribes so that they could capture the other tribes and sell them as slaves.
They also exchanged salt with the warrior tribes. |
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Specialization in West AFrica
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certain tribes specialized in certain agricultural skills ex. cotton growing. When the euros found out about this they targeted these groups when they needed these skills in the new world.
Curacao --> because the best and brightest were targeted slaves, the niger delta met its inevitable demise |
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seasoned slaves
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after slaves were captured and sent to the african coast/harbors they were kept for 6 months to work crops and grow their food for their journey on the middle passage
-seasoned slaves had less urge to revolt on the middle passage |
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Middle passage
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between West Africa and Coast of Brazil crossing the Atlantic Ocean
1/3 slaves died on the passage slaves considered a commodity not humans the ships were packed tight with inhumane/horrible conditions--> high death rate they still brought over more slaves then than if the boats were less packed with better conditions and then with less deaths |
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distribution of slaves
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East Coast of South and Central America-40%
Caribbean-50% North America-10% |
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how many were enslaved?
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12-20 mil
half of entire population number is so rough because there is not a good census record from the time and area |
