The Middle East, Africa & Europe in The Post-Classical Era: 500-1450 C.E.
Name______Period_____
Walker AP World History Ch 8Reading Study Guide P. 172-192
1. Why did Mansa Musa make such an impression in Cairo on his way to Mecca?
2. When were camels introduced into the Sahara for trade?_____
3. When was Ghana at the height of its power?_____
4. When was Mali at the height of its power?_____
5. Which two World Religions were successful in Africa?
6. What is a stateless society?
7. How did these ‘less civilized’ cultures use secret societies to maintain stability within the community?
8. What basic language structure had spread throughout much of Sub-Saharan Africa by this time?
9. What is the best guess (and I do mean GUESS) at the population of Africa before 1500 CE?
10. Briefly describe the spread of Islam to North Africa and Europe.
11. Who were the Almohadis and how did they push Islam into Sub-Saharan Africa?
12. Which areas of Africa were influenced by early Christianity? What were these Christians called?
13. What are the three “coasts” of Sub-Saharan Africa?
14. What is the sahel?
15. How did the Kingdom of Ghana rise to power?
16. What were the Sudanic States?
17. Who was Ibn Batuta? Why do you think he is important to our understanding of Africa at this time?
Read- “The Great Oral Tradition & the Epic of Sundiata”, be prepared to intelligently discuss it in class
18. Why do we know so much about Mansa Musa?
19. Why is Timbuktu significant?
20. Briefly describe the rise of Songhay.
21. What is the Sharia?
22. Describe the trade on the East Coast of Africa. What is the Zanj?
23. In addition to the Muslim world, what two major civilizations did this trade involve?
24. Describe the Swahili language.
Read “Two Transitions in the History of World Population” be prepared to intelligently discuss it in class
25. What is Demography? Why would this discipline be such a ‘big deal’ in studying World History?
26. What territory did Benin control?
27. Though they spread all over Central Africa, where did the Bantu people originate?
28. Briefly describe the kingdom of the Kongo.
29. What is Great Zimbabwe? Why y did 19th Century observers and scholar think it was built by Phoenicians or Arabs?
30. Why do you think Stearns et al are willing to put clearly less advanced, sometimes pre-literate “civilizations” e.g. Meso-America (upcoming Ch 11) & Sub-Saharan Africa (Ch 8) in the textbook at this point? (Post-Classical/Pre-Modern era)
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