Ruins from 13th Century Great Zimbabwe

Episode 9 Civilizations of Sub-Saharan Africa

1215: Years That Changed History

Dr Dorsey Armstrong (2019)

Film Review

In this lecture Armstrong covers three ancient kingdoms of sub-Saharan Africa, Mali, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, that came to the height of their power in 1215.

Ethiopia

The Ethiopian empire evolved from the Aksumi Empire which first appeared in the 1st century AD. Although an officially Christian state, it openly welcomed Muslim refugees being persecuted in Europe. It became immensely wealthy during the 13th century due to its booming trade in gold, frankincense, ivory and slaves. Although it was illegal to sell Christians as slaves, it was perfectly legal for Christians to kidnap non-Christians and sell them into slavery.

Ethiopia had a feudal structure like Europe, with a rigid hierarchical structure based on bonds of loyalty, protection and service.

Mali

The rulers of the Mali Empire belonged to the Keita Dynasty descended from the Muslim traders who first brought Islam to Africa in the 7th century. Prior to the 11th century, there were several African cities-states in the region of modern-day Ghana. A rural backlash against their mass conversion to Islam would culminate in the formation of the Mali Empire. It was the second largest kingdom in world history (only the Mongol Empire was larger), incorporating modern day Malia, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea, Mauritania and Gambia.

It supported itself through vigorous coastal and overland trade in ivory, gold and salt and rich agricultural production in the Niger River flood plain. Timbuktu would join Cairo and Baghdad as Islamic centers of learning, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of manuscripts in both public and private libraries.

Mali made its greatest global impact when Emperor Mansa Musa made a pilgrimage to Mecca with a retinue of 60,000 people and hundreds of camels carrying gold, which he gave away freely to dignitaries and bystanders alike.

Zimbabwe

The Kingdom of Zimbabwe was formed in 1220 by the Mapungubwe people, best known for their skill in stone carving and the magnificent stone monuments and buildings they constructed. The mined gold and traded with Europe, the Far East and the Arab world.

Using cattle as currency, they created an efficient centralized administrative structure in which a central “zimbabwe” ruled over numerous smaller “zimbabwes.”

The city of Great Zimbabwe was 1800 acres of extensive dry stone masonry (ie built without mortar) walls and buildings.

Film can be viewed free on Kanopy with library card.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/12392969/12392988