HIAF 3051 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Tsetse Fly, Pearl Millet, Agadez Region

• School: University of Virginia
• Department: History-African History
• Course: HIAF 3051
• Professor: James La Fleur

Document Summary

O(cid:272)ial te(cid:272)h(cid:374)olog(cid:455) = t(cid:396)ade food gets s(cid:272)a(cid:396)(cid:272)e(cid:396) a(cid:374)d fi(cid:374)d out the(cid:455) (cid:374)eed to put i(cid:374) (cid:373)o(cid:396)e effo(cid:396)t/la(cid:271)o(cid:396) into food. End of pleistocene = onset of much wetter conditions forest zones expanded: desert disappeared consistent climatic oscillations posed major challenges for human groups. Turned to domestication of cattle during desiccation phase because: Lived in herds with a hierarchical social structure. Increased mobility: penetration of northern berber-speaking horse nomads, technological change, compare/contrast, north: occupants of sahara became mobile traders, raiders and herders of camels and goats -> more mobile. South: settlements grew near well-watered basins of lake chad and the middle. Easo(cid:374)al (cid:373)o(cid:271)ilit(cid:455) (cid:449)as a(cid:374) (cid:862)i(cid:373)po(cid:396)ta(cid:374)t aspe(cid:272)t of e(cid:272)o(cid:374)o(cid:373)i(cid:272) st(cid:396)ategies gea(cid:396)ed toward flexibility in the face of erratic rainfall and recurrent drought: productive capacity of floodplain permitted export of food surpluses, including rice and dried fish. Technological development: use of heavy grindstones for processing wild cereals and eventually as building materials, bone harpoons for fishing and hunting aquatic animals.