ch5less1

Hello class,
The PPT was not able to load up, but here are the notes that you will need. Make sure they are printed out or copied by tomorrow 12/11/09.

• Key terms: A. Craftspeople, B. flourish, C. fertile, D. potter, E. floodplain, F. savanna, G. Sahel
• 1.___People who are skilled at making things with their hands
• 2.___Flat land near a river that may be covered with water during a flood
• 3.___To grow or do very well
• 4.___Good for plants to grow in
• 5.___A person who makes pottery
• 6.___grassland with scattered trees and plant growth
• 7.___the shore of the desert
• Roots of a Mighty Empire
• Ancient times
• 5000 BC the Sahara was flowing with rivers green pastures and forests.
• 4000 BC rain fell less often and temperatures had risen.
• 2500 BC climate à Dry and Hot
• Change in climate
• Land became bare and bleak / desert
• Changes à people moving to
• Sahel (8 climate zones)
• Shore of the desert
• Temperatures range from dessert in the north to vegetation in the south.
• Occasional rainfall makes farming possible
• Banks of the Niger River : Semi-arid/tropical, wet and dry
• Nok 500BC-200AD
• Lived in West Africa, Present day Nigeria
• Had iron as a resource (450BC)
• Use iron instead of stone
• Used iron for spear points and farming tools
• Lives improved because of the iron
• Potters
• Used clay to build huts and craft sculptures
• The city of Jenne-Jeno 250BC – 1400AD present day Mali
• Advantages of the city’s location:
• Niger River àRich soil à farming
• Resources: abundant crops, cattle, fish
• Trade: rice, fish, baskets, pottery of salt, copper, stone, iron tools and gold jewelry
• means they were great artisans
• city was abandoned in 1400AD