Interpreting Africa’s Past
9:30-10:45
The rise and fall of the ancient Ghana Empire
Here I will examine the upcoming and declining of the ancient empire Ghana. Ancient Ghana was a very fortunate empire. Ghana derived power and wealth from gold. The location of Ghana and its two closest rivers made it easy for trade to traffic. Majority of the knowledge of ancient Ghana comes from the Arab writers and mythical tales. Archaeologist have found some historical representations that could have rooted from ancient Ghana.
Ancient Ghana was located about 400 miles northwest of the modern day country. Ancient Ghana is now the world’s modern day Mali. This ancient empire gained is wealth geographically. Ancient Ghana was home to several gold mines making them a very wealthy country. Along this time trade was very popular. Their location was very marketable. They built their capital city, Kumbi Saleh, right on the edge of the Sahara and the city quickly became the most dynamic and important southern terminus of the Saharan trade routes(Aboubakarr). Ancient Ghana had great rulers. The rulers handled and organized the trade routines. The ruler’s political conflicts were either from outside enemies wishing to invade the empire or religious issues. During these times Islamic cultures and beliefs were spreading throughout Africa. Ghana did not fully become an Islamic nation as other neighboring empires had so it was said that Islamic invasion could have taken place. This empire actually separated those with Islamic beliefs away from the actual kingdom and into their own society. Ancient Ghana and all its natural resources suffered a dramatic decline over time. That led Ancient Ghana to no longer hold their empire or name.
There are a number of traditionally told factors that resulted to ancient Ghana’s downfall. Firstly the king could no longer trade because he lost his trading monopoly. At the same time drought was beginning to have a long term effect on the land and its ability to sustain cattle and cultivation (Empire of Ancient Ghana).The wealth downfall of this empire is also explained in the mythical tale, Bida. Bida, the black snake, demanded a