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Ancient Africa 2,600,000 BCE The world’s earliest stone tools, Ethiopia 2,100,000 BCE Tanzanian stone tools 700, 000 BCE Stone tools at Abu Simbel, Nubia 400, 000 BCE Cave Drawings of antelopes and other animals at Porc Epic cave near Dire Dawa, Ethiopia (unconfirmed) 250, 000 BCE Numerous stone artifacts in Nubia and Egypt
Post- Paleolithic / Neolithic in Southern, Eastern, Western and Central Africa 75,000 BCE Shell Jewelry found in Blombos Cave, South Africa in 2004 37,000 BCE/ 25,000 BCE Mathematical artifacts found in Swaziland and Ishango, Congo 37,000 BCE Baboon fibula with 29 parallel notches, Border Cave South Africa 35,000 BCE Decorated ostrich egg shells found in Namibia 26,000 BCE Painted stone slabs, Namibia 16,000 BCE Domestication of wild grasses: Ethiopian/ Nubian complex 15,000 BCE Domestication of sorghum: Nubia, present day Sudan, East Africa 10,000 BCE Pottery at Sarurab, Nubia 9370 BCE Pottery at Tagalagal and Tamaya Mellet, Niger, West Africa 8000 BCE Africa’s oldest boat - found in Dufuna, Northeast Nigeria 8000 BCE Domestication of barley and wheat, Ethiopia 7000 BCE Wavy line pottery across the Sahara/Sahelian region in the latitude between pre- dynastic Ghana and Mali and the Nubian/Egyptian complex
Politics and Society in East and West Africa 3800BCE Ta-Seti, Ist Nubian kingdom: ‘A’ group artifacts; political symbolism on incense burner found at Qustul; stone lined graves of 12 pharaohs (Bruce Williams) 3400 BCE Evidence of beer making, braided hair attachments and writing in Egypt 3400 BCE Unification of Egypt from rival kingdoms and city states 2686 BCE to 2125 BCE Old Kingdom, Egypt 2300 BCE to 1559 BCE Kingdom of Kush- Kerma, the first capital; round tombs; thin walled pots 1950 BCE to 1100 BCE Egyptian colonization of Kush 1000 BCE to 550 BCE 2nd Kingdom of Kush with capitals at Napata and Meroe (270 BCE to 600 CE) 747 BCE to 200 BCE Kushite conquest of Egypt. (Kushites remain until 200BCE in some areas) 500 BCE Date of the temple of Yeha, Northeast of Aksum, Ethiopia 1000 BCE Pre-Aksumite empire; Disputed emergence of the queen of Ethiopia and Sheba 600 BCE to 1400 CE Nubian Christianity prevails in the kingdoms of Alwa and others until Arab conquest 300 BCE to 1640CE Empires of Ghana (Wagadu), Mali and Songhai (Sahelian West Africa). Note Moroccan and later French conquest of this region. *1000 CE to 1900 CE Kingdom of Nri, Eastern Nigeria, source of the Igbo-Ukwu artifacts; Empire of Benin, West Nigeria The Oyo Empire, West Nigeria Dates vary for individual regions and power centers.
Foreign Invasions, Conquests and Resistance 332 BCE Greek conquest and occupation of Egypt by Alexander of Macedon 32 BCE Roman conquest and occupation of Egypt 400 CE Vandal (German) invasion of North Africa 639 CE Arab conquest and occupation of Egypt 868 CE Turkish / Ottoman conquest and occupation of Egypt 1441 to 1860s The first wave of Western European encroachments/conquests initiated by the Portuguese in West, South and East Africa ; Dutch invasion and encroachment in South Africa in the 1650's
The Belgian conquest of the Congo by Leopold 11 in the 1860's 1885 to 1900 A second wave of coordinated colonial conquests by the British, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish; A new wave of resistance by Africans- against the European invasions-
by Samori Toure and others 1950s CE to 1991 CE A second wave of liberation and resistance/ movements to regain independence - by freedom fighters such as Amilcar Cabral, Samora Machel,
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