Afr i ca n Civi I tzati o rl s,
1
500
B.C.-A'D. 700
Previewing Main ldeas
The varied climates and natural
s for developing different lifestyles'
Africa had pioneered iron-making
By 5OO e.c., the Nok people of West
technologY.
of ironworking
ceograpiy
-rUääpi"¡,Look ot the iocotion
sites
Whot
?' t!" mop'
why ironworking took ploce ot these sifes?
people
Massive migrations of Bantu-speakìng
people
ern and ,ouih"rn Africa' The migrating
+L^
ca,
r{h and ea,
- ^-I^ :south
the
in
people
"ná east'
to
brought new skills and ideas about society
ironworking
mop' Where did
Geography Study the time line ond the
brousht the skitts?
probobtv
ond ih¡'h
;;;:;d'f;; i;í'
sroup
major
The kingdom of Aksum became a
the center
ean and Ãrabian trade' lt also became
of ChristianitY in East Africa'
for trode thon Nok
Geography Why wos Aksum better suíted
or Dienné-Dieno?
INTERNET RESOURCES
.
.
.
lnteractive MaPs
lnteractive Visuals
lnteractive Primary Sources
Co to classzone.com for:
.
Research
Links ' lVlaPs
. lnternet Activities 'Test Practtce
. Primary Sources ' Current Events
. Chapter Quiz
751 g.c.
1500s s.c.
Kushite king, Piankl,
conquers MemPltis
Afrìcans south of the Sahara live in
scattered farming communltles, as
pastoralists or hunter-gatherers
in
Egypt.
AFRIEA
l2O0 s.c'
{
Olmec culture rises
ìn southern Mexico.
(stone Olmec head)
l
210
<( Age of Periclol
in Creeco,
_r--'l{F
{
,'^
\
-.;Mogadot
ù4edilerrattcon Seû
...
LeDt¡st
t:il,
i',".'
i
\ìl '.
iì
EGYÈT.\,
HA
,s
\i
t+
\7-I,AAITIC
OCEAAI
E
.
^
ì
Nokhomeland
Cities
Early lron Age s¡tes
Spreacl of
É
|00
!
1000
rt)cl Prolectrorr
ironwort<ing
i
1000
Miles
Kiloneters
250 s.c.
A.D.
Djen né-Djeno
established ln
West Africa,
?7
n.e"
n( Pax Romana begins.
(Roman soldier statue)
n.o. 520
l00s
Ba
{
King Ezana rules
Aksum. (crown
from Aksum)
ntu
migrations
under way
I
û5
n.u^
Chinese invent paPer.
2ll
4-
Hout can newcorners
change a comrnunitY?
The year is 100 e.c., and you've spent most of the day
gathering berries. The hunters have brought back some
small game to add to the simmering pot' Just then you see
something out of the ordinary. A stranger is approaching'
He is carrying a spear and leading cows-a type of animal
that none ofyou has ever seen' Your first reaction is fear'
But you are also curious. Who is he? What does he want?
Where has he come fi'om? The communal elders have
similar concelïs, yet they cautiously go forward to greet tum'
+,È*
hunter-gathctol
o community
The
is smnll
and tightly knit.
is, however, room l0
accommodate
newcomefs.
ø
Having traveled lotll
distances, this
stranger might havO
valuable survival
skills to share.
o
His spears could
indicate that he is I
good hunter or thol
his group may be
hostile invadersor both.
.Howmightbothnativepeopleandnewcomersbenefitfrom
their interaction?
.
How would such interaction change everyone involved?
Discuss these questions as a class. In your discussion, remember
whatyou,velearnedaboutotherpeopleswhodealtwithforeigners,
As you read
such as the Indo-European invaders of Asia and India'
how
notice
about the early African civilizations in this chapter,
African peoples interacted with each other'
Diverse Societies in Africa
INTERACTION WITH
ENVIRONMENT African PeoPles
tleveloped diverse societies as
they adapted to varied
cnvironments.
Differences among modern
societies are also based on
people's interactions with their
environments.
.
.
.
animism
griot
Sahara
Sahel
savanna
Nok
Djenné-Dieno
equator. It includes
SETTING THE STAGE Africa spreads acÏoss the
plains to snow-capped
range of Earth,s environments-from steamy coastal
constant drought, while others
mountain peaks' Some parts of Africa suffer from
varies from sand dunes and
receive over 200 inches of rain a year. vegetation
with the African envilonrocky wastes to dense green rain forests. Interaction
cultures and societies. Each group found ways to adapt
a broad
ment has created.rniquã
to the land and the resources it offers'
TAKING NOTES
A Land of GeograPhic Contrasts
4,600 miles from
Africa is the second targest continent in the world. It stretches
With a total of 11'7 million
east to west and S,OO0Liles from north to south.
Earth's land surface' Narrow coastsquare miles, it occupies about one-fifth of
plateau' waterfalls and
lines (50 to 100 miles) lie on either side of a central
from the plateau, making navirapids often fbrm u, ,i.r"., drop down to the coast
has few har-bors, ports'
guìion impossible to or from the coast. Africa's coastline
shorte'thanthat of Europe, a
ãr inlets. Because of this, the coastline is actually
land one-third Africa's size.
offers its own chalchallenging Environments Each African environment
hamper peoare largely unsuitable for human life and also
deserts are the sahara
ple's movement to more welcoming climates. The largest
and the Kalahari (kahl'uh'HAHR'ee) in the south'
lenges.
ihe deserts
0utlining 0rganize
ideas and details
about Africa.
Africa
).
A Land oî
Aeoqraphic
Coa{rasts
A,
þ,
ll. Éa.rlr¡ Huuans
Aaa.pl to Their
Énvironnetts
ìn the north
StretchingfromtheAtlanticoceantotheRedSea,theSaharacoveÍSanaÏea
roughlythesizeoftheUnitedstates'onlyasmallpar.tofthesaharaconsistsof
sanddunes.Therestismostlyaflat,graywastelandofscatteredrocksand
gravel. Each year the desert takes
ern edge of the Sahara Desert' the
Another vely different-but
is the rain forest. Sometimes
als
called "nature's gree
at the south-
environment
es mahogany
branches folm a dense canopy
and teak trees up to 150 feet tall. Their leaves and
The tsetse (TSET'see) fly is
that keeps sunlight from reaching the forest floor.
from using cattle, donfound in the rain 1'orest. Its presence prevented Africans
deadly insect also prevented
keys, and horses to farm neãr the rain folests. This
invaders-especiallyEuropeans-fromcolonizingfly-infestedterlitories.
African Civilization's
2ll
Welcoming Lands The northern coast and the southern tip of Afi'ica have weicoming Mediterranean-type climates and fertile soil. Because these coastal areas
are so fertile, they are densely populated with farmers and herders.
Most people in Africa live on the savannas, or grassy plains. Af ica's savannas
are not just endless plains. They include mountainous highlands and swampy tropical stretches. Covered with tall grasses and dotted with trees, the savannas cover'
ovel 40 percent of the continent. Dry seasons alternate with rainy seasons-often,
two of each a year. Unfortltnately, the topsoil throughout Africa is thin, and healy
rails strip away minerals. In most years, however, the savalìnas support abundant
agricultulal production.
Early Humans Adapt to Their Environments
The first humans appeared in the Great Rift Valley, a deep gash in Earth's crust that
runs through the floor of the Red Sea and across eastern Africa. As you iealned ear-
lier, people uoved outward from this area in the world's
filst migration. They developed technologies that helped
them survive in and then alter their surroundings.
Nomadic Lifestyle Africa's earliest peoples were nomadic
hutter-gathelers. Today, some of the San of the Kalahari
Deseft and the BaMbuti (bah'uhn'BOO'tee) of the rain
forests of Congo are still hunter-gatherers. The San, for
example, travel in small bands of a few related families. The
men hunt with spears and bows and arrows, and the women
and children gather roots and berries.
Mrrking Inferences
l¡\rulry rnight
lrtr ,1il,,
,,r1' trr
r'
ly|.'1
conttnue
a nomadic
Other eally Afi'icans eventually learned to domesticate
and raise a valiety of animals for food. Called herders, or
pastoralists, these people kept cattle, goats, ot sheep' They
were nomads who drove theil animals to find water and
good pastures for grazing during the dry season. Millions of
modern Afi'icans are pastoral herders as well. The Masai
(mah.SEYE) of Tanzania and southern Kenya, for example,
still measure their rvealth by the size of their herds. $.¡
Transition to a Settled tifestyle Experts believe that agricnltnre in Africa probably began by 6000 e.c. Between 8000
and 6000 8.c., the Sahara received increased rainfall and
turned into a savanna. But about 6000 e.c., the Sahara began
to dry up again. To survive, many early farmers moved east
into the Nile Valley and south into West Africa. Some settled on the savannas, which had the best agricultural land.
Grain grew well in the savannas. In addition to growing
graìn, Afi'icans began to raise cattle. In aleas where the
tsetse fly was found it was not possible to keep cattie.
However, south and east of the rain forests, cattle raising
became an important part of agricultural life. Other
Africans learned to fàrm in the rain forest, where they
planted root clops, such as yams, that needed little sun.
Agriculture dlastically changed the way Africans lived.
Growing their own food enabled them to build permanent
shelters in one location. Settlements expanded because reliable food supplies led to longet', healthier lives and an
increased birthrate. The increased food supply also fleed
Collecting Water
Finding and collecting water
traditionally has been the job of
women, whether they have a
settled lifestyle or a nomadic one.
Each day they set out to find clean
water for their families. Drought
in Africa, which has lasted for many
years, has increased the difficulty of
finding clean water. ln the Past, it
was estimated that women sPent
about nine minutes a day collecting
water. ln 2003, that time increased
to 21 minutes, and women had to
'10
walk as far as six miles (about
kilometers) to find the water.
Obtaining clean water will continue
to be a challenging daily task, even
for people who have made the
transition to a settled lifestyle on
small plots of land.
INTERNET ACTMTY Create
a
photographic report outlining African
clean water problems and solutions. Go
to classzone.com for your research.
Af ican Civilizcttions 215
r
practice activities such as working metal'
some membeïs of the community to
making pottery, and crafting jewelry'
This rock
painting in
northwestern
Africa shows
a line of calves
tied to a roPe
in a pastoralist
These increasingly complex settlement
smaller communities' Various types o
than
av
need. Some governments consisted of
gro
of individual family groups' As strong
camP.
queredweakersettlements,theycentralizedtheirpowerandtheirgovernments.
into great kingdoms'
So*" of th"se societies eventually developed
Early Societies in Africa
Thesocietiessouthofthesahara-likeallhumancultures-sharedcommonelements.oneoftheseelementswastheimportanceofthebasicsocialunit,thefam.
grandparents'
primary group often included
ily. Besides parents and children, this
aunts,uncles,andcousinsinanextendedfamily'Familiesthatsharedcolnmon
known as clans'
ancestors sometimes formed groups
LocalReligionsAfricanpeoplesorganizedthemselvesintofamilygroups.They
them understand and organize informaalso developed belief ,y.tå*. tt ut trelpea
tionabouttheirworld.Nearlyalloftheselocalreligionsinvolvedabeliefinone
creator,orgod.Theygenerallyalsoincludedelementsofanimism,areligionin
daily life. Animists believe that
which spirits play an important role in regulating
spiritsarepresentinanimals,plants,rdothernaturalforces,andalsotakethe
form of the souls of their ancestors'
ryhad written
Keeping a History Few African societies
for
of a cu
tellers shared orally the history and literature
ing
(gree'OHZ)' kept
example, these storytellers, or gt¡"E
it from Parent to child:
Analyzing
Sources
ü)Why
wero ßll'
ots importanl ttt
African societit'tl
DJELI MAMOUDOU KOUYATE
216
Chapter
8
'
from Sundioto' on Epic of OId Moli
Recent discovelies in West Africa have proved how old and extensive the history
htrhul¡ry
t
,tltltttlion Ihe
.r,,r,ly lrtrlcess of
.i'.,rrr¡, rrl llle SOil
of this part of Africa is. Archaeologists believe that early peoples from the north
moved into West Africa as desertification forced them south to find better farmland'
Discover.ies in the aleas of rnodern Mali and Nigeria reveal that West Africans
developed advanced societies and cities long before outsiders came to the continent.
West African lron Age
Archaeologists' main source of information about early West African cultures has
been from artifacts such as pottery, charcoal, and slag-a waste product of ilon
smelting. By dating these artifacts, scientists can piece together a picture of life in
WestAfrica as early as 500 n.c.
Unlike cultures to the north, the peoples of Africa south of the Sahara seetl to
have skipped the Copper and Bronze Ages and moved directly into the Iron Age.
Evidence of iron production dating to around 500 e.c. has been found in the area
just north of the Niger and Benue rivers. The ability to smelt iron was a major tech-
nological achievement of the ancient Nok of sub-Saharan Aflica'
The Nok Culture West Africa's earliest known cultule was that of the Nok Qrahk)
people. They lived in what is now Nigeria between 500 s.c. and ,q.n' 200. Their
name came from the village where the filst artifacts from their culture were discove¡ed. Nok artifacts have been found in an area stretching for 300 miles between
the Niger and Benue rivers. They were the first West African people known to
smelt iron. The iron was fashioned into tools for farming and weapons for hunting.
Some of the tools and weapons made their way into overland trade routes.
Nok Sculpture
Nok ..rrtifacts show evidence of a sophisticated
r rllure. Their sculptures are made of terra cotta,
rr r',(ldish-brown baked clay. Sculptures include
,urrrrals as well as people. This Nok figure
lr,,rlrrres a classical look called "elongated" style'
Most Nok figurines have these characteristics:
, rli,,tinctive features such as bulging eyes' flaring
rrrrstrils, and protruding liPs
, ,rrr elongated style, especially used for the head
.tlrc hand or chin on the knee in some
figures
. lr,rirstyle still common in Nigeria
tKItLBUILDER: lnterpreting Visual Sources
rrrrnulating Historical Questions What questions
luiltl(l you osk if you could speok wíth the creotor
I
,il lltis sculpture?
Africun Civi lizat ions 217
*
Technology
Science
African lronworking
Refining metal was an important technological advance in every
than
civilization. Africa was no exception. Iron tools were stronger
produce
copper or bronze tools, so iron tools and the technology to
them were very valuable'
Producing iron began by mining the iron ore' The iron itself
the
bound up with other minerals in rocks. The trick was separating
the
of
function
the
was
iron from the unwanted minerals' That
shown below. This process is known as smelting'
reach about 20000
F'
A tuyère (twee'YAIR) was
I
clay pipe that allowed ait l0
flow through the furnace,
bellows-usuallY
o The
witlt
out of an animal
mado
LINKS FOT MOTC
information on ironworking,
RESEARCH
skin
wooden plunger attached
increased air flow in the
furnace, thus raising the
go to classzone.com
J( ,l
\t
I
Ã/
temperature.
I
@
I
',
'I
a
=
The intense heat would
cause a chemical reactiotl,
separating the iron from lltl
impurities.
.J¡
would collect
o formiron
what called a
i7
The
is
I
and
blooltl¡
After cooling, the bloom
removed. An ironsmith tltofl
worked the bloom into tltc
desired tool or weaPon'
i
ï
I
r
I
?
.a
*ç
\u.
iÈ
l:i?':
ÕI¡¡-;-
Connect to TodaY
\
L Hypothesizing What advantagrr
,,.
+
would iron tools give a civiliz¿liottl
See Skillbuilder Handbook, Pa¡t'
2. Comparing
llll
and Contrasting tho
lnternet to research the history ul
modern ironworking techniqut'n
What improvements have bectì
made, and how do theY benelil tttfl
life today?
2t8
Djenné-Dieno In the legion south of the
Sahel, most Africans lived in small villages'
However; cities began to develop sometime
between 600 e.c. and 200 e.c. Usually they
were in areas along rivers or at an oasis' One
of these cities was Djenné-Djeno'
Dienné-Dieno (eh'NAY jeh'NOH), or
ancient Djenné, was uncovered by archaeologists in 1977. Djenné-Djeno is located on a
tributaly of the Niger River in West Africa'
There, scientists discovered hundreds of thousands of aftifacts. These objects included pot-
l
i
il
tery, copper hair ornaments, clay toys, glass
beads, stone bracelets, and iron knives.
The oldest objects found there dated fi-om
t¡
250 s.c., making Djenné-Djeno the oldest
known city in Afi'ica south of the Sahara. The
city was abandoned sometime after n'1. 1400'
reed
At its height, Djenné-Djeno had some 50,000 residents. They lived in round
bricks'
of
mud
made
houses
huts plastered with mud. Later, they built enclosed
fertile
Theyfished in the Niger River, herded cattle, and raised rice on the river's
iron. They
floodplains. By the third century B.c., they had learned how to smelt
peoples
other
from
salt
gold,
and
exchanged their rice, fish, and pottery for copper,
lr rl \'\r,ty\
'i,, , itlllil(,\
I r¡r
I
A modern
artist, Charles
Santore, has
pictured life in
Djenné-Dleno
,l000
around n.o.
center linked to
who livèd along the river. Djenné-Djeno became a bustling trading
routes. 9
other towns not only by the Niger, but also by overland camel
and techThe early inhabitants of West Africa were developing cities, cultures,
groups in west
nologies that would make their mark on history. Meanwhile, other
The BantuAfrica
West
of
out
Africa were beginning to make an historic move
them to
with
would take their culture and ironworking techniques
taefllnI
¡
I
ol
¡rrr,ìlt(l
rlll r'/
speaking people
parts of eastern and southern Africa.
lllmr
l.
For each
Sahel
.
& NAMES
.
r¡lr,tt,t
ItllN(,
YOUR NOTES
a tt,,rd wr.r(,history and culture
trri: ìr,rvr'(l in African societies?
4l t t¡a
term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance'
savanna
\ugraPhic
t','nlrasls
r
MAIN IDEAS
did diverse cultures develop in
7. RECOGNIZING EFFECTS How
way Africans lived?
5. How is the African lron Age
different from that in other
regions?
I nvirotu¿nts
TODAY
CRITICAL THINKING & WRITING
Africa?
t".
IO
Djenné-Djeno
6. ANAIYZING CAUSES Why
Africa?
A,
tilapt to Their
. Nok
four general
vegetation tYPes found in
5. What are
cu ltu res?
ll Ltrlq Hunais
llH
. griot
4. What is the main source of
information about earlY African
I Á l-and of
r
. anrmlsm
did agriculture change the
8. DRAWING CONCTUSIONS What evidence shows that
Djenné-Djeno was a major trading city
9. WRITING ACTIVITY
i
a?
INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT
Choose one of the ilimate or vegetation zones of Africa'
Write a poem from the perspective of a person living in
the zone and interacting with the environment'
CREATING A MAP
,ãl't,',.¡¡.ensional
map of Africa that illustrates both vegetation zones and
to demonstrate the geographic challenges to people
¡r,.pr,r¡,1¡tr lcatures. Use your tup
È,r,rË,'r llrr, continent.
African Civitizations
219
M¡gration
CASE STUDY: Bantu-Speaking Peoples
CULTURAL INTERACTION
Relocation of large numbers of
Bantu-speaking people brings
cultural diffusion and change to
Migration contÍnues to shape
the modern world.
.
.
migration
push-pull
.
Bantu-speakin¡¡
peoples
factors
southern Africa.
SETTING THE srAGE Human history is a constantly recurring set of movement, collision, settlement, and more movement. Throughout history, people
have chosen to uproot themselves and move to explore their world. Sometimes
they migrate in search of new opportunities. other times, migration is a desperate attempt to find a place to survive or to live in peace.
TAKING NOTES
Analyring Causes and
Recognizing Effects
ldentify causes and
effects of specific events
related to Bantu
migration.
People on the Move
As an important pattern in human culture, migrations have influenced world history from its outset. Migration is a permanent move from one country or region
to another.
causes of Migration Aside from the general human desire for change, the
causes of migrations fall into three categories: environmental, economic, and
political. In the early history of human life, environmental factors were most
likely the strongest. Later, economic and political causes played a greater role.
For example, in the 15th century, the ottomans' drive for power pushed them to
move all over the ancient world to create a massive empire. As the world became
more industialized more people moved to cities where work in factories was
available. Elsewhere, religious or ethnic persecution supported by governments
often drove groups ofpeople to flee in order to survive.
Seventeenth-century European settlers were pulled to
America by the hope of religious tolerance, land for
farming, or better economic conditions.
When looking at migration, historians and geographers speak of pwh-pull factors. These factors can
either push people out of aî area or pull them into an
alea. An example of an environmental pull factor-might
be abundant land that attracts people. On the other hand,
the depletion of natural resources forces people away
from a location-a push factor. Employment or the lack
of it is an economic push or pull factor. Political condi-
tions such as freedom or persecution can encourage people to move or to stay where they are.IJrbanization also
causes migration because
220
Chapter
8
job opportunities and other
v
A mask of llt¡
Kuba, a Bantrt
speaking peo¡rl:,
from Congo
Zaie
rtttd
Migration: Push-Pull Factors
Push Examples
Migration Factors
Climate changes, exhausted
Environmental
resources, earthquakes,
volcanoes, droughtfamine
Pull Examples
Abundant land, new
resources, good climate
2
Religious, ethnic, or political
persecution, war
modern world? Exploin.
2, Analyzing Causes Which couse do you think is most importont in modern migrotions? Why?
benefits attract people. The chart above shows how causes of migration are related
to push-pull factors.
Effects of Migration Life in a newly populated area changes because of the influx
of new people. The results of mìgration may be positive or negative'
. Redistribution of the population may change population density'
. Cultural blending of languages or ways of life may occur.
. Ideas and technologies may be shaled.
. People's quality of life may be improved as a lesult of moving'
. ClaShes between groups may create unrest, persecutlon, or even war.
. Environmental conditions may change, causing famine or depleted
irrmlrr¡ l)¡rinions
natural resources.
. Employment opportunities may dry up, creating unemployment and poverty'
Migration changes the lives of those who migrate and also of the people in communities where they settle. Both groups may need to make adjustments in the way
they live. Some adjustments may be relatively easy to make. For example, more
advanced technology may improve living conditions. Other adjustments may be
more difficult and may occul over a longer period of time. One of these adjust-
Ò
ments may include language. $.¡
'"'lr "l
llrc
,l rrrtlit,ttton
' rlrlrl.,ilt:
,,rltvr'/
Tracing Migration Through Language One way experts can trace the patterns of
movement of people over time is by studying the splead of languages. People bring
their languages with them when they move to new places. And languages, like the
people who speak then, are living things that evolve and change in predictable
ways. If two languages have similar words for a particular object or idea, for example, it is likely that the people who spoke those languages probably had close contacl aI one t1me.
Experts have studied languages in Africa. One group of African languages, the
Niger-Congo, includes over 900 individual languages. A family of languages in this
group developed from a single parent tongue, Proto-Bantu. Many anthropologists
believe that the language spread across Africa as a result of migration. Today in
Africa, Bantu speakers live in a region from south of the Sahara to the tip of Afüca'
A Bantu language is the first language of near'ly one-third of all Africans.
Aft'ican Civi lizotions
221
!l-
ú
homelands
Bantu
lVligration routes 3000
l\4igration routes 500
1:'
I
I
ec
I
-500
ac
ec ao 400
MigrationroutesaD 400-n¡ 1100
|
Desert
4TLA}'TIC
OCEA
i\
Tropical rainforest
À
K,ILAHA
R
I
D ESE RT
/.\'/) , | \
o(l l\
GEOGRAPHY SKILtBUItDER: lnterpreting
otures did the Bontu speokers encounter in
l. Human-Environment lnteraction What geogr
the course of their migrotions?
2. Movement Why didn't the Bontu speokers migrate northword?
Cnsr Sruov: Bantu-
Massive Migrations
' (The wold Bantu
Histolians 1'efer to these people as
lived in the
nally
itself means "the people.") The
Nigeria.
savatìna south of the Sahara, in the area that is now southeastern
group ofpeoLr speakers were not one people, but rather a
and nomadic
farmers
were
They
cultulal characteristics.
experts
Many
and passed along the skill of ironwor-king'
sunlight to support agriculture.
as tney moved eastward into the savannas, they adapted their techniques for
Kenya and
herding goats and sheep to raising cattle. Passing through what is now
One such crop was the banana'
Tanzania, they learned to cultivate new crops'
which came from Southeast Asia via Indonesian travelers'
know exactly what caused the
causes of Migration Although it is impossible to
a logical explapeoples to mijrate, anthropologists have proposed
Bantu-speaking
peoples developed agriculture, they
nation. These experts suggest that once these
obtain by hunting and gathering'
were able to produce more food than they could
Because this enlarged popuAs a result, the population of West Africa increased.
planted more land' Soon
lation required more food, the earliest Bantu speakers
go north in search of land,
there wasn,t enough tand io go around. They couldn't
becausetheareawasdenselypopulated.TheareasthatoncehadbeenSavannawere
advancing toward them' So the
becoming more desertlike. The Sahara was slowly
people moved southward.
technology of iron smelting'
The Bantu people probably brought with them the
Astheymovedsouthwardtheyweresearchingforlocationswithironorefesources
andhardwoodforests.Theyneededthehardwoodtomakecharcoaltofuelthe
smeltingfurnaces.(Seethescience&Technologyfeatureonpage2lS.)
e,youcanseefromthemap,themigrationssplitintoeasternandwestern
their way around the geographical
streams. Eventually, the Bantu speakers worked
1,500 years oI so-a sholt time
barriers of the Kalahari and Namib deserts. within
of Africa' The Bantu speakin the span of history-they reached the southern tip
of Africa' Ð
ers now populated much of the southern half
settled into an area' changes
Effects of the Migration When the Bantu speakers
unpopulated' Some areas into
occurred. The lands they occupied were not always