NORTHEAST AFRICA
most monoregional and multiregional theories of human origin.
HUMAN ORIGINS
A place of origin of humankind according to
The first evidence of writing and the world's
first paper- made from papyrus.
Earliest evidence of writing was found by
Gunter Dreyer at Abydos, at U-J- dated 3250BCE.
150 years before the Sumerians.
A principal source of inspiration for Greek
intellectuals such as Hippocrates, Plato etc. Acknowledgements by several Greek scholars
including Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus. See, for example, Biblioteca, The Library of History.
Harvard University Press.vol. 1 Book 1.
The calendar used by most of the world today-
adopted by the Romans and modified by Pope Gregory
RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS
Some concepts possibly derived from the region include
symbol of the Cross, from the Egyptian ANKH; the Concept of Madonna and Child (Auset/Isis and Horus),
and the concept of the resurrection. These issues continue to be hotly debated by scholars.
Ancient Aksum was one of the earliest regions to use coins and
the first to inscribe the sign of the cross on coins
One of the earliest regions to produce steel in the ancient world, using the
innovative principle
the hot air blast furnace- Tanzania East Africa (Schmidt, 1997). A major pioneer in the manufacture of glass in the ancient world.
ARCHITECTURE One of the pioneers in building concepts such as the vault and the colonnade. We should note the concept of constructing temples sculptured from the living rock such as the Lalibela Churches of
12th and 13th century Ethiopia.
Construction of some of the largest stone structures on record such as
the
Giza Pyramid
(Egypt) and the Ethiopian stelae of 750 tons, 13 storeys high(Ethiopia)
(Connah,2001).
Swaziland math artifact, 35,000 years old An acknowledged source of inspiration for Picasso (and Cezanne).
A major inspiration and source for South American music eg the Tango, Rhumba, Samba, Salsa etc.
10,000 miles in length
Benin Iya, West Africa (Darling, 2008) One of the world's oldest boats- found at Dufuna, Northeast Nigeria - 8000 years old (Breunig,1996). The major source of gold for Europe before the conquest of the Americas - from the empires of Ghana and
Mali.
West
Africa from which Santeria and Candomble were derived.
There are about 150 million devotees around the world in Cuba,
Brazil, Nigeria (Falola&Genova,2005).
A source of numerous contemporary textile motifs and various types of fabric
including kente, adinkra, adire- many of which have been copied and imitated.
Numerous loan words and vocabulary in contemporary English, Spanish and
Portuguese.
Major contribution to the development of the economies of Western Europe and
the Americas in
terms of natural resources and centuries of unpaid labor(Inikori, 2002). African Bibliography and References
Send comments to: Dr. Gloria Emeagwali, History Department, CCSU, New Britain, CT06050.MATERIALS
FERMENTED BEVERAGES
One of the earliest breweries has been found in this region- dated 3500BC
ENGINEERING
Southern/Central Africa
Mathematics
The world's oldest mathematical objects, Blombos, South Africa, recently re-dated at 100,000 years old (Henshilwood et al. 2004)
The region of origin of the world's languages according to recent scholarship. See Atkinson (2008).
MODERN ART
AFRICAN MUSIC
WEST AFRICA
ENGINEERING
Contribution to world heritage of one of the world's most
extensive earthern fortifications
NAVIGATION
METALLURGY
RELIGION
Orisa, a religious system from Yoruba civilization,
MUSIC
A major source of various musical styles including Jazz, Calypso, and Soca.
CLOTH
AFRICA IN GENERAL
LANGUAGE
ECONOMICS