CH 13.1 Guided Reading Notes
Empire of Ghana
The Big Idea: The rulers of built an empire by controlling the salt and gold trade.
Main Ideas
•Ghana controlled and became wealthy.
•Through its control of trade, Ghana built an .
•Attacking , overgrazing, and the loss of trade caused Ghana’s .
Main Idea 1:Ghana controlled trade and became wealthy.
- Sometime after 300 the first in Ghana, the Soninke, were threatened by nomadic herders. The Soninke began to band together for protection, forming the beginnings of .
- They grew in , learning to work with . They used iron farm tools to produce more food, allowing the population to increase. They also made superior iron weapons.
- Ghana lay between the vast Desert and deep forests, a good position to trade in the region’s most valuable resources, gold and salt.
Gold and Salt
Gold
•Gold came from the , from mines near the Gulf of Guinea and along the Niger.
•People wanted gold for its .
Salt
•Salt came from the Sahara in the north. People needed salt to .
•It could preserve food, and made bland food tasty.
Trading Gold and Salt
•The exchange of gold and salt sometimes followed a barter process in which people exchange goods without ever contacting each other .
–Helped ensure traders did business
–Kept exact location of gold mines a from salt traders
•As trade increased, Ghana’s rulers gained power.
–Their strength grew as well.
–Began to take control of trade routes
–Rulers of Ghana became wealthy.
•Additional sources of wealth and trade included wheat, sheep, cattle, honey, leather, cloth, and tassels made from golden thread.
•As trade increased, Ghana’s capital, Koumbi Saleh became West Africa’s largest city and a great trading center.
Q1: How did the rulers of Ghana gain power in West Africa?
Main Idea 2:Through its control of trade, Ghana built an empire.
- By Ghana was firmly in control of West Africa’s trade routes.
- Traders were protected by Ghana’s .
- Ghana’s rulers made money by forcing traders to pay . The people of Ghana also had to pay taxes, and conquered neighboring tribes had to pay .
- Ghana’s mines produced huge amounts of gold, which was officially the of the king.
- The rulers banned anyone else in Ghana from owning gold . Common people could own only gold .
Expansion of the Empire
•Ghana’s kings used their wealth to build a powerful army and many of their neighbors. Many conquered areas were trade centers, bringing more wealth.
•Travel and communication were difficult in their empire, so they allowed conquered to retain much of their power.
•The empire of Ghana reached its under Tunka Manin.
Q2: Why were conquered kings allowed to retain (keep) much of their power?
Main Idea 3:Attacking invaders, overgrazing, and the loss of trade caused Ghana’s decline.
Invasion
•The Almoravids attacked Ghana in the 1060s.
•Destroyed the city of Koumbi Saleh
•They cut off trade and formed new partnerships with Muslim leaders.
•Without trade, Ghana could no longer its empire.
Overgrazing
•The Almoravids brought herds of with them.
•The animals , leaving the soil to blow away.
•Unable to grow , many farmers had to leave.
Internal Rebellion
•In about 1200 the people of one of the areas Ghana had conquered rose up in .
•Within a few years the rebels had taken over Ghana.
•Weakened, Ghana was by one of its neighbors.
Q3: What led to decline in Ghana?