As we know that Africa is the world’s largest continent on the globe full stop, meaning that it’s unlikely you will be able to cover it all in one sitting! Each country has its own history and story to tell- which is why it is well worth diving deep and doing some further reading!
It is believed that Africa was the birthplace of mankind. Archaeological evidence indicated that the continent has been inhabited by humans and their forebears for some 4,000,000 years or more. Although we mostly hear about the vast riches of kings of ancient Africa, the lifestyle of the average person was much different. The commers in ancient Africa were typically very poor and had to work hard all their lives.
African use to spend much of their day working the land growing crops such as yams, sorghum, barley, and wheat. At that time traders played an important role in the economy of ancient Africa. Warriors were important in large empires of ancient Africa such as “the Mali” and “Songhai Empires”. In ancient there were many slaves often captured from enemy tribes during war or were born into slavery. At that time the home of royalty and the kings were often made of wood or stone but other people lived in a thatched hut with walls made from clay and straw.
Africa is the world’s hottest continent with deserts and dryland so, the people of ancient Africa didn’t wear a lot of clothes. Most of the time, they went around naked. However, in special ceremonies and meetings, they would wear loincloths or tunics. The people also wore jewelry and makeup. Jewelry was made from different items like gold, seashells, feathers, and gemstones.
The ancient Africa children were often considered adults at around the age of 12. The musicians and storytellers of Africa are called “griots”. Maasai, Berbers, Sandawe, Pygmies, Hadza, Nama, San(Bushmen) are the oldest African tribes with different cultures and traditions. The ancient tribe of Massai is still located in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. African traditions were expressed through music, art, dance and sculpture, and beadwork.
We are still learning about ancient Africa, much of what we know about the culture, lifestyle, of Africa comes from the stories that have been passed down orally throughout the centuries.
