MMW 13 Lecture 1: lecture 6
19 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Outline Lecture Six—Trade Networks in West Africa
Key Focus:
1) What stimulated trade in West Africa before the European intervention?
2) What was the extent of wealth and influence in West African kingdoms?
I) The Advent of the Trans-Saharan Trade
a) Pre-5th century Scenario
i) Small-scale, localized trade
- Salt from salt mines in the desert, transported south
- Coveted commodity in every part of the world - those areas devoid of
salt were eager to get their hands on this product
- Reliance on pack oxen
b) Transport Breakthrough in 5th century
i) The Camel Revolution
- Brought in from places such as arabia
(1) Able to travel twice as fast and twice as far as pack-oxen
(2) Perfectly adapted to the desert
- Could go 10 days without water, withstand heat and cold
(3) Allowed for large-scale and long-distance caravan trade
ii) Berbers (Sanhaja and Tuareg)—nomads of the Sahara oversaw this
trade
- Southern and central sahara
c) The Mediterranean-Sahel Link
i) Arabic word for “shore”
- Sahel - coast/shore - long stretch of grassland/savannah south of
sahara
- Desert often associated with the ocean
ii) Network of “littoral” cities on the Sahel—Timbuktu, Gao, Djenne,
Kumbi-Saleh
- Important trading towns/cities
iii) Crucial trade link sub-Saharan Africa and Mediterranean region
-
Trade → emergence of many trading towns and posts
II) The First West African Kingdom—Ghana (10th to 12th centuries)
- Not same as modern state of Ghana - near modern state of Mali (kingdom of
ghana)
a) Historical Background
i) Soninke People with capital at Kumbi Saleh
- Capital of the kingdom
- Strategic location as crucial link for traders from the north and gold
producers coming from the south
(1) Contact with Berber nomads gave them key access
- Camel caravans
-
Iron tools, weapons, horses → gave them advantage over
neighbors and other tribes
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Key focus: what stimulated trade in west africa before the european intervention, what was the extent of wealth and influence in west african kingdoms, the advent of the trans-saharan trade, pre-5th century scenario, small-scale, localized trade. Salt from salt mines in the desert, transported south. Coveted commodity in every part of the world - those areas devoid of salt were eager to get their hands on this product. Reliance on pack oxen: transport breakthrough in 5th century, the camel revolution. Brought in from places such as arabia (1) able to travel twice as fast and twice as far as pack-oxen (2) perfectly adapted to the desert. Could go 10 days without water, withstand heat and cold (3) allowed for large-scale and long-distance caravan trade: berbers (sanhaja and tuareg) nomads of the sahara oversaw this trade. Southern and central sahara: the mediterranean-sahel link, arabic word for shore . Sahel - coast/shore - long stretch of grassland/savannah south of sahara.
