Question 1

What factors enabled the Bantu peoples to dominate other peoples in the regions to which they spread? Trace the spread of the Bantu and analyze the impact of their expansion on the various areas of Africa.What were the contributions of the Bantu people?

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Question 2

How was the political system of the Meroitic Empire similar to and different from that of Egyptian rule? Be specific about the royal succession.

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Question 3

What are the primary sources for the study of early African history to about the year 1000 C.E.? What are the benefits and drawbacks to these sources? To what extent should we accept the opinions of outside observers of the African continent?

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Question 4

Explain the relationship between Bantu expansion and the development of African trade.Who controlled the trade? Why were some regions unaffected or,conversely,deeply affected by the trade?

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Question 5

What were some of the important contributions that early African societies made to other cultures? Was pre-Islamic Africa a relatively isolated land mass that contributed little to political,cultural,and religious developments in the ancient world?

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Question 6

Why has the once popular view of Africa south of the Sahara as a vast region that was isolated from civilization until it was "discovered" by Europeans been discounted? Pay attention to both archeological evidence and trade activity.

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Question 7

In the first millennium C.E., the coastal regions of East Africa

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The first millennium C.E. saw extensive overseas contacts between the coastal regions of East Africa and India, Arabia, and the Mediterranean. These contacts facilitated the growth of trade, which helped create and sustain urban centers and complex societies along the coast.

Question 8

Discuss the diffusion of languages and peoples in African history.How does the linguistic diffusion show that,despite natural barriers,Africa's peoples have not been as internally isolated or compartmentalized as was once thought?

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Question 9

The Sahara rock paintings provide evidence that the

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The Sahara rock paintings provide evidence of all the options given. They depicted scenes of hunting, animals, and landscapes with an aesthetic quality, indicating an artistic sensibility in the artists who created them. The paintings also revealed that the Sahara region was once a lush, wet area, which is why they were able to sustain the wildlife depicted in the paintings. Therefore, option D is the best choice.

Question 10

How would you define the term "civilization"? How has the conflation of the two meanings of this word been used to imply that African societies were backward and therefore inferior?

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Question 11

How did Aksum become a Christian community? Did this disrupt Aksumite trading relations with Byzantium? What long-range ramifications did a Christian community in Ethiopia have for the development of Islam?

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Question 12

How did the spread of Islam affect various African cultures and civilizations?

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Question 13

The Arab scholar al-Mas’udi describes East African religion as

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Al-Mas’udi describes East African religion as traditional and animistic, meaning that the belief system includes a connection to nature and various deities or spirits. This description does not align with the other options, which involve specific monotheistic religions.

Question 14

What is the role of geography in African history? Compare and contrast the evolution and spread of the people and cultures in West Africa,the East African littoral,North and South Africa.

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Question 15

What were the most important items for the internal trade in Africa? What products were traded overseas and how extensive was this trade? How does African trade argue against the broad definition of "civilization" that sees African societies as backward and inferior?

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Question 16

Compare and contrast the evolution of Aksum as compared to Ghana.What role did religion play in the development of these kingdoms? What role did trade play? What factors contributed to their decline?

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Question 17

The Khoisan are

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The Khoisan are a group of indigenous people from southern Africa who are characterized by their unique language, culture, and genetics. They are known for their traditional hunting and gathering lifestyle, but some also practice pastoralism. Therefore, the Khoisan are a mix of hunter-gatherers and pastoralists. They are not descendants of Bantus, nor do they speak a Bantu language. Additionally, they are not socioeconomically privileged in present-day Africa.

Question 18

What role did trade play in the development of the cultures of West and East Africa? What goods were important in African trade,and how did those goods bring the various regions of Africa into contact with each other and with other cultures? Did trade play any role in the rise and fall of African societies?

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Quiz 5: Africa: Early History to 1000 C.E