By Morgan Johnson 4th block
There is a civilization that goes back to 500 B.C.E. that I would like to discuss in this research paper. Ghana, Mali was an empire located in West Africa by the Sengal and Niger rivers. Mali is a country best known for its ancient kingdoms and empires. Ghana, Mali had many of the characteristics of a civilization. This research paper will show that the Ghana, Mali empire displayed evidence of the seven characteristics of a civilization: government, food supply, art, religion, technology, social structure and writing.
There was no democratic government system for Ghana, Mali. Instead, they had a dictatorship. In a dictatorship, a ruler or tyrant has absolute power. The dictators had the title of Mansa. The first Mansa was named Kankan Musa and was later crowned Mansa Musa. He was famous for his pilgrimage to Mecca which started in 1324 and ended in 1326. They also had a strong military. This is proven by their many battles won in the late 13th century and through out the 14th century. The government of Ghana, Mali consisted of a military and a dictator.
Ghana, Mali had rich farm land and a lot of food. The foods they planted were rice, corn, vegetables, and peanuts. They traded food with other countries like China and Brazil. Mali’s farmland was so rich because it was the closest to the river. It was very great because if you lived close to the river then you got fantastic food.
There were many different forms of art in the ancient Ghana, Mali empire. Jewelry was important to both men and women because they like gold and silver. Women wore large earrings and beads made of amber. The West African music had many melodies and rhythms. Their music contained many instruments like strings, flutes and many different types of drums. Ghana, Mali created many textiles that were colorful and patterned as well as wood sculptures and masks. The arts were very important to the people of Ghana, Mali.
The people of Ghana, Mali were very spiritual. They mostly practiced the Muslim religion. Ghana’s people believed that everything living and nonliving had a spirit. Some people wore outfits that protected them from spirits. They made mosques out of dried earth and patterns of clay. Islam was a big influence in West Africa.
The Muslim religion caused an interest in reading and writing. The Ghana, Mali people had to read the Quran to learn Islam. There were many manuscripts written in Arabic. Arabic is a written language where many symbols were used. Their religion influenced their writing.
In Ghana, Mali, technology really helped their lives. One of their inventions was a loom which women used to make clothing. They had their own language called Mande. Mande words were used in languages spoken in other regions. Also, they introduced the use of the horse-mounted cavalry. In general their language, the loom, and the horse-mounted cavalry gave them a special advantage.
There were three main groups in the Ghana, Mali social groups. There were farmers and nobles, specialized professionals, and slaves. The farmers main crop was rice, which was very important because it was a stable crop. Farmers had part time businesses to supplement their harvests. Nobles had leadership positions like headman or religious leaders. Men did all the farm work and the leadership work while women did the cooking, cleaning and child rearing. The social structure of Ghana, Mali was not very good.
Ghana, Mali was very free and strict at the same time. They had slavery which was at the bottom of the social classes. The king ruled very nicely. Also the food supply was not excellent because they only had a few crops by some areas that were not located by the river. I think overall Ghana, Mali was a very good place. Hope you enjoyed my project.
