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What kinds of problems did African people face during medieval times?
But it’s also useful outside the continent, because Africa is often perceived as a region of many calamities – pandemics, droughts, famines, wars, corrupt governments – where people are viewed as victims.
What was Africa like during the medieval period?
As the medieval era started around 500 CE, Rome’s power in North Africa and Egypt was diminishing, while traders from the Middle East started bringing Islam to Africa. Africa’s treasures of gold, salt, slaves, and ivory had also become known, making the continent a target for more trading and wealth.
What happened in medieval Africa?
Medieval Africa Family was the foundation of African society and the slave trade tragically disrupted African society and changed their trajectory of development. Trans-Sahara camel caravan trade of ivory, iron, gold, salt, and unfortunately slaves allowed the kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai to flourish.
What were the problems in medieval times?
Illnesses like tuberculosis, sweating sickness, smallpox, dysentery, typhoid, influenza, mumps and gastrointestinal infections could and did kill. The Great Famine of the early 14th century was particularly bad: climate change led to much colder than average temperatures in Europe from c1300 – the ‘Little Ice Age’.
What effect did trade have on medieval Africa?
Africa’s geography influenced the rise of its civilizations. The growth of trade led to the exchange of goods and ideas. African rulers developed different forms of government. Traditional religions, Christianity, and Islam shaped early African culture.
When was Africa’s golden age?
The years between 1100 and 1600 were known as the “golden age” of trade, when West African gold was in high demand. This led to an increase in the need and use for trade routes. From 1300 the Trans-Saharan trade routes were used for trade, travel, and scholarship.
How geography shaped the lives of medieval Africans?
The geography of Africa helped to shape the history and development of the culture and civilizations of Ancient Africa. The geography impacted where people could live, important trade resources such as gold and salt, and trade routes that helped different civilizations to interact and develop.
Why was disease a common problem in Medieval times?
As there was no knowledge of germs or how diseases spread in the Middle Ages, the Church explained away illness as ‘divine retribution’ for leading a sinful life. Common diseases in the Middle Ages included dysentery (‘the flux’), tuberculosis, arthritis and ‘sweating sickness’ (probably influenza).