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unit 10 lesson 32
ancient africa project - unit 10 lesson 32 Ghana: A West African Trading Empire
Question | Answer |
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Unit 10 Lesson 32 Ghana: A West African Trading Empire | |
What was the first West African empire? | The first empire in West Africa was Ghana. Trade played a key role in the growth of kingdoms and empires in West Africa. |
What were the responsibilities of the kind in Ghana? | The king was the head of the army, made the final decisions in matters of justice, and led the people in religious worship. The king controlled the supply of gold and held court with his people each day. He appointed governors to rule parts of his empire |
What happened when the king of Ghana dies? | When the king died, his son did not inherit the throne because the royal inheritance was matrilineal. This means that it was traced through women's bloodlines instead of men's. Therefore, in Ghana, the son of the king's sister was the heir to the throne. |
What did Ghana's military consist of? | Ghana's military included a regular army, reserve forces, and elite soldiers. |
Where was Ghana located? | Ghana was located between North Africa and West Africa, which were two areas that wanted to trade. Ghana's location enabled it to control this trans-Saharan trade. |
Who did Ghana become wealthy? | Ghana became wealthy by controlling the trans-Saharan trade and charging taxes on goods, especially gold and salt. Gold was mined in secret locations in forests south of Ghana and carried north to trade, while salt was made in the Sahara and brought south |
What was traveling across the Sahara like? | Walking across the Sahara was challenging and dangerous. Caravans sometimes lost their way, and some traders died in the desert. Each day, the traders walked until the afternoon, when the sun was high in the sky, and then rested until sunset. |
Where was Wangara located? | In an area known as Wangara, there was a plentiful supply of gold. Wangara was located near the forests south of Ghana, but no one besides the people of Wangara knew its exact location. The Wangarans kept the locations of their gold mines secret. |
How was salt produced? | Salt was produced in 2 ways in the Sahara. One method was through evaporation. The second way was through mining. At Taghaza, salt deposits were found about three feet below the surface of the earth. Both methods resulted in blocks of salt. |
Describe Ghana's tax system. | Traders paid taxes to Ghana on all the goods they carried through the empire. Goods were taxed both when traders entered and left Ghana. Ghana charged different amounts of gold for varying loads of goods. |
What were two advantages of the silent barter system? | The two advantages of the system of silent barter were that it enabled people who spoke different languages to trade and it allowed the Wangarans to protect the secret location of their gold mines. |
What were the two main reasons for the downfall of Ghana's empire? | Two main reasons that led to the downfall of the West African empire of Ghana were war and the loss of natural resources. |
What was Mali? | The end of Ghana’s empire opened the door to the rise of a new power, Mali. Around 1240, Mande, a group of West Africans, conquered Kumbi. Mali gained much of its wealth from the control of trade, particularly in gold. |