Table of Contents
What was the Swahili civilization known for?
Iron Age people traded with inland Africa, East and Southern Asia, and Europe, producing what has become popularly known as the “Swahili civilization.” This civilization along the coast of Eastern Africa is marked by material culture of iron working, cloth production, pottery, beads, and glass as well as monumental …
What are the general characteristics of Swahili?
However, the most distinguishing feature of Swahili is its verbal system. The Swahili verbal system is distinctly more complex than that of English, consisting of numerous affixes, both inflectional and derivational morphemes, attached to the verb root.
How Swahili civilization was created?
Around the 8th century, the Swahili people engaged in the Indian Ocean trade. As a consequence, they were influenced by Arabic, Persian, Indian, and Chinese cultures. It is the mixture of Perso-Arab and Bantu cultures in Kilwa that is credited for creating Swahili as a distinctive East African culture and language.
What role did the Swahili civilization play in Indian Ocean trade?
What was the role of Swahili civilization in the world of Indian Ocean commerce? Economically, Swahili cities provided commercial centers that accumulated goods from the interior of sub-Saharan Africa and exchanged them for the products of the Indian Ocean trading network.
What are some facets of Swahili civilization along the eastern coast of Africa?
What are some facets of Swahili civilization along the eastern coast of Africa? Arab merchants and traders came to trade and settle on the east coast of Africa. The Swahili civilization was formed by these people and the Bantu Africans.
What are the main features of modern civilization?
A civilization is a complex culture in which large numbers of human beings share a number of common elements. Historians have identified the basic characteristics of civilizations. Six of the most important characteristics are: cities, government, religion, social structure, writing and art.
Which was the main cause of the development of Swahili culture?
Answer: trade with the interior of East Africa. Mainly it developed as a result of the native Bantu tribes that encountered the Arabs who set up trading outposts that resulted in the future development of villages and towns along the East African Coast.
What technology did the Swahili use?
The European objective was to control eastern trade markets. They possessed two important technological advantages that ensured their domination of the Indian Ocean: the use of firearms and large, fast boats, caravels.
What kind of culture did the Swahili people have?
Around the 8th century, the Swahili people engaged in the Indian Ocean trade. As a consequence, they were influenced by Arabic, Persian, Indian, and Chinese cultures. During the 10th century, several city-states flourished along the Swahili Coast and adjacent island. They were Muslim, cosmopolitan, and politically independent of one another.
Why was the Swahili coast important to the Persian Empire?
Today archaeologists agree that the “Persian” aspects of the Swahili coast were a reflection of the connection to trade networks in the region of Siraf, rather than in-migration of Persian people. Thanks to Stephanie Wynne-Jones for her support, suggestions, and images of the Swahili Coast for this project. Great Mosque at Kilwa. Claude McNab
Where did the Bantu and Swahili people come from?
Around 3,000 years ago, speakers of the proto-Bantu language group began a millennia-long series of migrations; the Swahili people originate from Bantu inhabitants of the coast of Southeast Africa, in Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique. They are mainly united under the mother tongue of Kiswahili, a Bantu language.
When did the Swahili civilisation come to an end?
The Swahili civilisation came to an end after the Portuguese conquest in the early 1500s. In conquering Swahili towns, the Portuguese destroyed and looted many buildings. The Portuguese were searching for gold and ivory and knew that the Eastern coast was rich in these.