HST 197 Lecture Notes - Lecture 48: Sub-Saharan Africa
Document Summary
There were two religions of salvation that attracted converts from sub-saharan africa. Both christianity and islam arrived a foreign faiths introduced by foreign peoples. Adherents adapted both faiths to fit the needs and interests of the people. For a while christianity did not spread to sub-saharan africa it remained in egypt and the mediterranean basin. Christianity established foothold in the kingdom of axum. First converts were local merchants who traded with mediterranean christians. Established monasteries, translated the bible into the ethiopian language and worked to spread christianity. Many kings of axum converted to christianity. As the empire declined and islam expanded there were some isolated areas of. In the 12th century, a new ruling dynasty took over and energetically promoted. Christianity as a foundation of cultural unity for the land. Ethiopian kings ordered the carving of 11 massive churches made out of solid rock. Required unknown number or resources and hours of labor to build these.
