World History
Mr. Dowling's African History Page. This is a nice history site designed for children and teenagers. Of course, some adults may find it useful too!
It gives brief background information on the ancient civilizations and cities of ancient Africa including Nok, Ghana, Kush, and Timbuktu. There is also information on more recent African history including Liberia, the Boers, and Nelson Mandela.
I certainly have a decent grasp of African history. However, I will admit it is not as strong as my knowledge of European, Asian, or American history. As such, I try to blog African history sites at least several times a month for my own education and to help keep this blog's "world history" balanced.
I was pleased that I was able to help my brother recently. He called me up as he was playing Civilization IV. (This is a computer game which simulates world history by allowing players to develop a culture through time.) He asked, "Berlin just got sacked by Mansa Musa. Who the heck is this guy?" And I was able to tell him.
From the site:
The European colonial powers called Africa ?the Dark Continent? when they began their explorations. They saw it as a vast and dangerous place filled with savage people, but Africa has been home to many advanced, exotic civilizations. Many have been buried beneath the sands of time, but we know of others, and archaeologists continue to uncover more clues about ancient African civilizations.
West Africa has a great oral tradition. A griot is a learned storyteller, entertainer, and historian. Often a griot will memorize the genealogy, or family history, of everyone in a village going back centuries. American writer Alex Haley met a griot in 1966 that had memorized the entire story of the village of Juffure to a date two centuries in the past when his ancestor was enslaved.
A great deal of what we know about West Africa comes from the griots, but archaeologists are often surprised by new finds. In the last twenty-five years, scholars have concluded that civilization developed in West Africa as much as one thousand years earlier than expected. We now know that Africa had an Iron Age culture with cities and trade routes about 250 years Before the Common Era.
- Ghana, Mali, And Songhai
Ghana, Mali, and Songhai Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were three of the greatest western African trading states. Beginning with Ghana as early as 300 c.e. and ending with the conquest of the Songhai by Morocco in the 16th century c.e., they dominated the...
- The Art Of African Exploration
The Art of African Exploration is a collection of 19th-century European paintings, drawings, and maps. It gives a good indication of how Africa as seen by Western eyes. This is yet another quality collection from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries....
- Africa: The Cradle Of Civilization
Africa: The Cradle of Civilization - An interactive educational site that explores Africa's history from the dawn of mankind to modern day. The site includes two lesson plans for teachers, video and audio clips, and games. This is one of many excellent...
- Ancient Manuscripts From The Desert Libraries Of Timbuktu
Ancient Manuscripts from the Desert Libraries of Timbuktu - An online exhibition from the Library of Congress presents manuscripts from Timbuktu. The collection covers the 16th to the 18th centuries. From the site: Timbuktu, Mali, is the legendary...
- Teaching About Africa
Teaching about Africa. This is a good essay which discusses ways teachers can instruct American students about Africa. This includes some information on history. An older version of this essay is also available under the same title of Teaching about Africa...
World History
Mr. Dowling's African History Page
Mr. Dowling's African History Page. This is a nice history site designed for children and teenagers. Of course, some adults may find it useful too!
It gives brief background information on the ancient civilizations and cities of ancient Africa including Nok, Ghana, Kush, and Timbuktu. There is also information on more recent African history including Liberia, the Boers, and Nelson Mandela.
I certainly have a decent grasp of African history. However, I will admit it is not as strong as my knowledge of European, Asian, or American history. As such, I try to blog African history sites at least several times a month for my own education and to help keep this blog's "world history" balanced.
I was pleased that I was able to help my brother recently. He called me up as he was playing Civilization IV. (This is a computer game which simulates world history by allowing players to develop a culture through time.) He asked, "Berlin just got sacked by Mansa Musa. Who the heck is this guy?" And I was able to tell him.
From the site:
The European colonial powers called Africa ?the Dark Continent? when they began their explorations. They saw it as a vast and dangerous place filled with savage people, but Africa has been home to many advanced, exotic civilizations. Many have been buried beneath the sands of time, but we know of others, and archaeologists continue to uncover more clues about ancient African civilizations.
West Africa has a great oral tradition. A griot is a learned storyteller, entertainer, and historian. Often a griot will memorize the genealogy, or family history, of everyone in a village going back centuries. American writer Alex Haley met a griot in 1966 that had memorized the entire story of the village of Juffure to a date two centuries in the past when his ancestor was enslaved.
A great deal of what we know about West Africa comes from the griots, but archaeologists are often surprised by new finds. In the last twenty-five years, scholars have concluded that civilization developed in West Africa as much as one thousand years earlier than expected. We now know that Africa had an Iron Age culture with cities and trade routes about 250 years Before the Common Era.
- Ghana, Mali, And Songhai
Ghana, Mali, and Songhai Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were three of the greatest western African trading states. Beginning with Ghana as early as 300 c.e. and ending with the conquest of the Songhai by Morocco in the 16th century c.e., they dominated the...
- The Art Of African Exploration
The Art of African Exploration is a collection of 19th-century European paintings, drawings, and maps. It gives a good indication of how Africa as seen by Western eyes. This is yet another quality collection from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries....
- Africa: The Cradle Of Civilization
Africa: The Cradle of Civilization - An interactive educational site that explores Africa's history from the dawn of mankind to modern day. The site includes two lesson plans for teachers, video and audio clips, and games. This is one of many excellent...
- Ancient Manuscripts From The Desert Libraries Of Timbuktu
Ancient Manuscripts from the Desert Libraries of Timbuktu - An online exhibition from the Library of Congress presents manuscripts from Timbuktu. The collection covers the 16th to the 18th centuries. From the site: Timbuktu, Mali, is the legendary...
- Teaching About Africa
Teaching about Africa. This is a good essay which discusses ways teachers can instruct American students about Africa. This includes some information on history. An older version of this essay is also available under the same title of Teaching about Africa...