Yes the French meaning is overseas and is still used as definition for French foreign departments
Collaborative timeline: Dunes of the Desert, a Timeline without Islam
- Thread starter Tomislav Addai
- Start date
Not that the word itself is Aramaic, it was rather my wrong wording
Wait was is Wathanism?
*Crusaders are there as response to Nestorian Turkic nomads taking over Jerusalem
Sectarian conflict between christian groups has led to crusades before.
Chapter 136: The Nilotic and Cushitic Peoples of the 14th Century
Today´s chapter will deal with the developments in Himyar, the Ethiopian Highlands and the Cushitic plain in the eastern parts of the Horn of Africa. The inclusion of the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula into this update can be justified due its commercial and cultural ties to the lands across the Straits.
A map of the Horn of Africa and surroundings around 1400 AD
Himyar has been experiencing periods of great prosperity due to the trade between Kemet and India. While Kemet has sought to seize control over the trade from the Himyarite middlemen, so far, the Himyarites were able to always defeat them, both on land and in the sea.
The city of Aden is a multicultural entrepot, where apart from Himyaritic and Coptic, Tamil and Malabar are frequently heard. Similar to the multicultural nature of the Malabar Coast, Aden has also Manichean, Waaqeffanna, Nestorian and Hindu temples, all coexisting in harmony. The ambition to take as much from the trade as possible has seen continued attempts to plant more and more trees – for now, wood for the Himyarite navy is taken predominantly from India, but also by felling forests in neighbouring regions of Africa.
Strategically, most important for Himyar is the securing of the Straits by challenging the Qafar kingdom. A series of wars has been fought between the two major contenders. While the Qafarese had the defenders´ advantage and the inhospitable terrain at their disposal, the Himyarites were also at home in the desert. However, it was continued support from Mazoun and Kemet that helped Qafar defend themselves rather successfully in the first war.
After the incorporation of Medri Bahri along the Red Sea, Abyssinia faces again the now weakened Kingdom of Qafar. It has been now Himyar´s turn to save their bitter rival from utter destruction.
The culture of the kingdom of Qafar is at this time largely associated with three vital animals, the donkey, the camel and the goat, exporting frankincense and drinking coffee. While having adopted the Christian religion, the language of the Qafarians is more similar to that of the other Cushitic peoples in the Horn of Africa. Qafar remains a largely rural country, with most of the population being herders rather than peasants.
The chief power in the region is however the empire of Abyssinia or Ethiopia, under the rule of the Solomonic dynasty. There are four major regions of the country, from north to south: Medri Bahri, Tigray, Amhara and Shewa. Medri Bahri has been only recently incorporated – its economy is directly linked to the Red Sea trade and has commercial ties to both Himyar and Kemet. Therefore, this region has been historically most open to cosmopolitan and outside influnces – and has been in particular receptive of the Coptic religious influence. The Tigray regions, further southwards are regions closely connected to the legacy of the empire of Axum, containing the city of Axum itself. The area is the region where the Semitic influence in the country is relatively high, and is also the area with a higher influence of the local Ethiopian Church headed by the Abunas.
The seat of political power has shifted however further southwards into the provinces of Amhara and Shewa. It was mainly the Amhara people who became the bearers of the Abyssinian identity, aqnd this language gradually became associated with the country as a whole, rather than the ancient liturgical tongue of Geez, which remained limited largely to the ecclesiastical use. The province of Shewa. The province of Shewa, populated largely by Gurage and Argobba peoples, as well as some incoming Amharas, is in its nature a feudal military march, considered by many to be the southern extremity of the civilized world. Nevertheless, it appears that this region was a strategically important region, lying on the the corridor of the Great Rift Valley, connecting the regions of Qafar with the Omotic valleys further south; however these regions are considered barbarian by many.
As for developments in the Ethiopian religion, we can witness a difference in practice and customs of the Coptic Orthodoxy, and a local reform movement, started by the Ewostatewos in the previous century, calling for the observance of the Sabbath and a few other customs, some most likely influenced by Judaism. Ethiopia itself had been home to a large Jewish Haymanot community, also known as Falashi or Beta Israel, for centuries. Due to a common Semitic background, and the fact that Judaism indeed had been the state religion of Axum prior to its conversion to Christianity, he also had called for a number of other Jewish-derived observances.
Image of an itinerant Ethiopian monk
The views of Ewostatenos had gained the support of a number of monastic communities, and many of his proposed were actually derived from the rural customs observed in the way the faith was practiced in the Amhara and Tigray regions. Judaic dietary laws of kashrut, such as prohibition of pork and male circumcision were also already practiced. Ewostatenos however ran into problems, as his views were in many points contrary to the official practice and doctrine of the Coptic Church, which officially was organizationally responsible for the regions of Ethiopian Highlands. Despite his exile to a remote monastery, the views of Ewastatenos and the real folk practice of the religion in Ethiopia itself meant that the difference of custom between the official and the folk practice of Christianity was not easily overcome and the gap between Coptic and Ethiopian versions of Christianity was growing wider.
It was however in 14th century that the Ethiopian Church would proclaim its independence from the Coptic Church – during the time when the power of the Coptic hierarchy in Egypt was broken. As for the church in Qafar, it had become part of the Himyarite Church. The headquarters of the tEthiopian Church are located in the historical capital of Axum, which becomes the seat of the Abunas or Patriarchs. The historical office of the Ichege, who had been the real person in charge of the church (as Abunas had been mostly of Coptic origin) remained in Debre Libanos, and it had become customary that the Ichege, who was the Abbot of Debre Libanos becomes the acting Abuna until the next one be elected.
The monastery of Debre Libanos, one of the centres of Ethiopian Christendom
The kingdom of Damot remains the dominant power of the southern slopes of the Ethiopian Highlands. It gradually expands eastwards, to include further peoples of the Gurage, the Sidamo and the Hadiya, though the kingdom is increasingly pressed from the north by Ethiopia, while in the east it finds it more and more difficult to defend itself from the incursions of the various clans of the Galla or Oromo peoples.
Eventually, the heart of the kingdom of Damot in the Welega area finds itself conquered by Ethiopia, which has also expanded towards Arsi. On the ruins of Damot, its former tributaries reassert their independence, among them the most prominent being the Lordship of Kaffa and Sidamo – the remaining smaller tribal polities and chiefdoms becoming tributary to one of these two polities or Ethiopia itself. Kaffa and Sidamo find themselves greatly exposed to the cultural attraction and sphere of Ethiopia.
Map of the languages in the area. Apart from a slight advancement of the Oromo people in expense of the Omotic languages, not much has changed
Further eastwards, we can witness two major peoples – the Galla and the Somali. The Oromo continue to live a largely pastoral lifestyle on the borderland between the Ethiopian and Cushitic cultural spheres. This is true especially for the Galla peoples of Borena and Barentu, while the Bale lordship is indeed taking up a greater level of cultural influence from the Somali regions proper
In the coastal regions of the Horn of Africa,it is the lordship of Banaadir which manages to win over its rival, the Boqordom of Rahanweyn, in the struggle for dominance. This unification of Banaadir and Rahanweyn results in the formation of a larger realm, whose main centres are located in the valleys of the Shebelle and Jubba rivers.
The valley of the Jubba river
Effective irrigation, water management, digging of wells and cisterns have resulted in great agricultural yields. The prevailing crops grown were sorghum and grain, and Lasting monuments to the Banaadir Boqordom are aqueducts, whitewashed coral cities as well as lighthouses. The Banaadir did participate in long-distance maritime trade, especially with India, from where they imported spices and cloth. Trade further southwards along the Kinara coast resulted in the import of gold, ivory and slaves.
Banaadir is known to have had a unique calendar, law system and have also developed their own martial art, known as istunka, which developed from a mock fighting between the various clans.
What has been evaded for now has been the development of the Waaqqefanna religion in the area. Much of its tenets are in fact centred on the sanctity of rain and nature. Its temples have been built around a sacred well, and there is a cultural taboo on cutting down certain trees. However, depictions of deities are non-existent, as Waaqefanna prohibits any idols whatsoever, very akin to other monotheistic religions of the Semitic peoples.
Lasting monuments are pillar tombs or obelisks, which are associated with the deceased ancestors of the clan chiefs as well as resting places of saints.
The interaction of Banaadir with the nomadic herdsman outside of their domain has actually not been rather violent. Due to the fact, that their neighbours were actually kinsmen, sharing the same culture and language, general conditions came to be agreed, mainly the use of the wells and water sources by the nomads in return for a tribute in form of the goat, cattle and camels to the local governor. This arrangement gradually comes to take the form of “lacagbodi” or water-money.
The specific xeer system of law as practiced in Banaadir was derived from older Cushitic customary law. As for general principle, most transgresses are corrected by material compensation, and the aim is to reach a consensus. As for general a testimony of two is taken for granted. The idea of material compensation – in the nomadic days being more often than not in the form of livestock, has come in the settled society to mean either yields or days of labour on the other´s fields.
In general, a man has never been seen as an individual in Banaadir or elsewhere in the Cushitic world. Rather, each person has always been regarded as part of a family group, which in turn is part of a clan. Therefore, any legal dispute has never been regarded as a dispute between two individuals, but always as a dispute between two clans.
The medieval city of Barawa
In Banaadir, it gradually becomes the jurists (the Odayal ) – many of whom had been previously tribal elders who become a respective class with high social prestige. A number of Odayal in the early 14th century have written down the customary principles of the xeer law, though as they say, that their composition is “merely the observation of the most widespread custom of law, as it is carried out in the Boqordom of Banaadir and as observance among the clans of Darod. In many places, the text speaks of differences of practice among the Cushitic people.
This specific class of jurists or Odayal has become one of the pillars of power of the Boqordom of Banaadir, from whom the general administration of the country is recruited. The clan chiefs, the islaan remain in charge of the local communities.
Apart from the judicial and traditional authorities, as well as the clergy, which maintains its authority, there appears another important class of the society, being the merchants engaged in long-distance trade. The country has long had a maritime tradition, and more and more people begin to find out that using their naval skills to exchange goods from one shore to another is an excellent way to make profit. The Banaadiri merchants on their journeys encountered a number of different religions, among them Msadeqi Manincheism, Nestorian Christianity and Hinduism. Communities of these respective religions have also established themselves in the city of Banaadir itself.
In the final part of the update, I shall take a look at the fate of the Nilotic peoples. For most of the time, we speak of pastoralist communities, whose culture resolves around herding cattle. The litotic peoples have been spread all across the upper Nile basin, from the marshes of the Sudd to Lake Ukerewe and from there to the south and east as far south as the Kilimanjaro.
In Nubia, it has been Nobatia which had come under severe cultural pressure from the Copts, to such an extent that the language has all but become assimilated, in the towns, though the villages largely maintained the ancient Noba language. Further upstream, evidence of the impact of the Black Death has shown a dramatic demographic decline in both Alodia and Makuria. While previously, the two were united, they had once more separated. Moreover, Alodia had been succumbing to pressure of the Shilluuk tribal confederacy from the south who had established their own domain on the borderlands ; while the Teqali have established their own state in the Nuba Hills. However, central authority had declined even in the rump states of formerly great Makuria and Alodia, where local chieftains and warlords reigned supreme.
In Nubia, we can see the decline of royal authority. In some places, it is changed for a more feudal type of spocial organization, in other places the resulting social formation is more of a clan-based nomadic system
Further westwards, in the uplands halfway to Lake Tchad, the Daju kingdom had been overrun by the Tunjur people. It is presumed that the Tunjur were a Berber dynasty and arrived from the north, though their origin is rather mysterious. What we do known is that the ruling elites were of a lighter skin complexion than their subjects and they engaged in trading with both the region around lake Tchad and Dongola. Towards the end of the 14th century, we do have records of the baptism of the Tunjuri king in Tamiat in Kemet, from where he proceeded to visit the city of Jerusalem, guided by a number of local Nubian monks.
Other Nilotic realms include the Kitara Empire, loicated in Uganda, which appears to had been founded already some time in the 10th century, and was feared by the inhabitants of the neighbouring tribes, due to their technological supremacy, their rulers had gained the reputation of gods. Legends claim that the Chwezi people, the founders of the Kitara empire had arrived in the area from the disinitegrating Empire of Axum.
A map of the Horn of Africa and surroundings around 1400 AD
Himyar has been experiencing periods of great prosperity due to the trade between Kemet and India. While Kemet has sought to seize control over the trade from the Himyarite middlemen, so far, the Himyarites were able to always defeat them, both on land and in the sea.
The city of Aden is a multicultural entrepot, where apart from Himyaritic and Coptic, Tamil and Malabar are frequently heard. Similar to the multicultural nature of the Malabar Coast, Aden has also Manichean, Waaqeffanna, Nestorian and Hindu temples, all coexisting in harmony. The ambition to take as much from the trade as possible has seen continued attempts to plant more and more trees – for now, wood for the Himyarite navy is taken predominantly from India, but also by felling forests in neighbouring regions of Africa.
Strategically, most important for Himyar is the securing of the Straits by challenging the Qafar kingdom. A series of wars has been fought between the two major contenders. While the Qafarese had the defenders´ advantage and the inhospitable terrain at their disposal, the Himyarites were also at home in the desert. However, it was continued support from Mazoun and Kemet that helped Qafar defend themselves rather successfully in the first war.
After the incorporation of Medri Bahri along the Red Sea, Abyssinia faces again the now weakened Kingdom of Qafar. It has been now Himyar´s turn to save their bitter rival from utter destruction.
The culture of the kingdom of Qafar is at this time largely associated with three vital animals, the donkey, the camel and the goat, exporting frankincense and drinking coffee. While having adopted the Christian religion, the language of the Qafarians is more similar to that of the other Cushitic peoples in the Horn of Africa. Qafar remains a largely rural country, with most of the population being herders rather than peasants.
The chief power in the region is however the empire of Abyssinia or Ethiopia, under the rule of the Solomonic dynasty. There are four major regions of the country, from north to south: Medri Bahri, Tigray, Amhara and Shewa. Medri Bahri has been only recently incorporated – its economy is directly linked to the Red Sea trade and has commercial ties to both Himyar and Kemet. Therefore, this region has been historically most open to cosmopolitan and outside influnces – and has been in particular receptive of the Coptic religious influence. The Tigray regions, further southwards are regions closely connected to the legacy of the empire of Axum, containing the city of Axum itself. The area is the region where the Semitic influence in the country is relatively high, and is also the area with a higher influence of the local Ethiopian Church headed by the Abunas.
The seat of political power has shifted however further southwards into the provinces of Amhara and Shewa. It was mainly the Amhara people who became the bearers of the Abyssinian identity, aqnd this language gradually became associated with the country as a whole, rather than the ancient liturgical tongue of Geez, which remained limited largely to the ecclesiastical use. The province of Shewa. The province of Shewa, populated largely by Gurage and Argobba peoples, as well as some incoming Amharas, is in its nature a feudal military march, considered by many to be the southern extremity of the civilized world. Nevertheless, it appears that this region was a strategically important region, lying on the the corridor of the Great Rift Valley, connecting the regions of Qafar with the Omotic valleys further south; however these regions are considered barbarian by many.
As for developments in the Ethiopian religion, we can witness a difference in practice and customs of the Coptic Orthodoxy, and a local reform movement, started by the Ewostatewos in the previous century, calling for the observance of the Sabbath and a few other customs, some most likely influenced by Judaism. Ethiopia itself had been home to a large Jewish Haymanot community, also known as Falashi or Beta Israel, for centuries. Due to a common Semitic background, and the fact that Judaism indeed had been the state religion of Axum prior to its conversion to Christianity, he also had called for a number of other Jewish-derived observances.
Image of an itinerant Ethiopian monk
The views of Ewostatenos had gained the support of a number of monastic communities, and many of his proposed were actually derived from the rural customs observed in the way the faith was practiced in the Amhara and Tigray regions. Judaic dietary laws of kashrut, such as prohibition of pork and male circumcision were also already practiced. Ewostatenos however ran into problems, as his views were in many points contrary to the official practice and doctrine of the Coptic Church, which officially was organizationally responsible for the regions of Ethiopian Highlands. Despite his exile to a remote monastery, the views of Ewastatenos and the real folk practice of the religion in Ethiopia itself meant that the difference of custom between the official and the folk practice of Christianity was not easily overcome and the gap between Coptic and Ethiopian versions of Christianity was growing wider.
It was however in 14th century that the Ethiopian Church would proclaim its independence from the Coptic Church – during the time when the power of the Coptic hierarchy in Egypt was broken. As for the church in Qafar, it had become part of the Himyarite Church. The headquarters of the tEthiopian Church are located in the historical capital of Axum, which becomes the seat of the Abunas or Patriarchs. The historical office of the Ichege, who had been the real person in charge of the church (as Abunas had been mostly of Coptic origin) remained in Debre Libanos, and it had become customary that the Ichege, who was the Abbot of Debre Libanos becomes the acting Abuna until the next one be elected.
The monastery of Debre Libanos, one of the centres of Ethiopian Christendom
The kingdom of Damot remains the dominant power of the southern slopes of the Ethiopian Highlands. It gradually expands eastwards, to include further peoples of the Gurage, the Sidamo and the Hadiya, though the kingdom is increasingly pressed from the north by Ethiopia, while in the east it finds it more and more difficult to defend itself from the incursions of the various clans of the Galla or Oromo peoples.
Eventually, the heart of the kingdom of Damot in the Welega area finds itself conquered by Ethiopia, which has also expanded towards Arsi. On the ruins of Damot, its former tributaries reassert their independence, among them the most prominent being the Lordship of Kaffa and Sidamo – the remaining smaller tribal polities and chiefdoms becoming tributary to one of these two polities or Ethiopia itself. Kaffa and Sidamo find themselves greatly exposed to the cultural attraction and sphere of Ethiopia.
Map of the languages in the area. Apart from a slight advancement of the Oromo people in expense of the Omotic languages, not much has changed
Further eastwards, we can witness two major peoples – the Galla and the Somali. The Oromo continue to live a largely pastoral lifestyle on the borderland between the Ethiopian and Cushitic cultural spheres. This is true especially for the Galla peoples of Borena and Barentu, while the Bale lordship is indeed taking up a greater level of cultural influence from the Somali regions proper
In the coastal regions of the Horn of Africa,it is the lordship of Banaadir which manages to win over its rival, the Boqordom of Rahanweyn, in the struggle for dominance. This unification of Banaadir and Rahanweyn results in the formation of a larger realm, whose main centres are located in the valleys of the Shebelle and Jubba rivers.
The valley of the Jubba river
Effective irrigation, water management, digging of wells and cisterns have resulted in great agricultural yields. The prevailing crops grown were sorghum and grain, and Lasting monuments to the Banaadir Boqordom are aqueducts, whitewashed coral cities as well as lighthouses. The Banaadir did participate in long-distance maritime trade, especially with India, from where they imported spices and cloth. Trade further southwards along the Kinara coast resulted in the import of gold, ivory and slaves.
Banaadir is known to have had a unique calendar, law system and have also developed their own martial art, known as istunka, which developed from a mock fighting between the various clans.
What has been evaded for now has been the development of the Waaqqefanna religion in the area. Much of its tenets are in fact centred on the sanctity of rain and nature. Its temples have been built around a sacred well, and there is a cultural taboo on cutting down certain trees. However, depictions of deities are non-existent, as Waaqefanna prohibits any idols whatsoever, very akin to other monotheistic religions of the Semitic peoples.
Lasting monuments are pillar tombs or obelisks, which are associated with the deceased ancestors of the clan chiefs as well as resting places of saints.
The interaction of Banaadir with the nomadic herdsman outside of their domain has actually not been rather violent. Due to the fact, that their neighbours were actually kinsmen, sharing the same culture and language, general conditions came to be agreed, mainly the use of the wells and water sources by the nomads in return for a tribute in form of the goat, cattle and camels to the local governor. This arrangement gradually comes to take the form of “lacagbodi” or water-money.
The specific xeer system of law as practiced in Banaadir was derived from older Cushitic customary law. As for general principle, most transgresses are corrected by material compensation, and the aim is to reach a consensus. As for general a testimony of two is taken for granted. The idea of material compensation – in the nomadic days being more often than not in the form of livestock, has come in the settled society to mean either yields or days of labour on the other´s fields.
In general, a man has never been seen as an individual in Banaadir or elsewhere in the Cushitic world. Rather, each person has always been regarded as part of a family group, which in turn is part of a clan. Therefore, any legal dispute has never been regarded as a dispute between two individuals, but always as a dispute between two clans.
The medieval city of Barawa
In Banaadir, it gradually becomes the jurists (the Odayal ) – many of whom had been previously tribal elders who become a respective class with high social prestige. A number of Odayal in the early 14th century have written down the customary principles of the xeer law, though as they say, that their composition is “merely the observation of the most widespread custom of law, as it is carried out in the Boqordom of Banaadir and as observance among the clans of Darod. In many places, the text speaks of differences of practice among the Cushitic people.
This specific class of jurists or Odayal has become one of the pillars of power of the Boqordom of Banaadir, from whom the general administration of the country is recruited. The clan chiefs, the islaan remain in charge of the local communities.
Apart from the judicial and traditional authorities, as well as the clergy, which maintains its authority, there appears another important class of the society, being the merchants engaged in long-distance trade. The country has long had a maritime tradition, and more and more people begin to find out that using their naval skills to exchange goods from one shore to another is an excellent way to make profit. The Banaadiri merchants on their journeys encountered a number of different religions, among them Msadeqi Manincheism, Nestorian Christianity and Hinduism. Communities of these respective religions have also established themselves in the city of Banaadir itself.
In the final part of the update, I shall take a look at the fate of the Nilotic peoples. For most of the time, we speak of pastoralist communities, whose culture resolves around herding cattle. The litotic peoples have been spread all across the upper Nile basin, from the marshes of the Sudd to Lake Ukerewe and from there to the south and east as far south as the Kilimanjaro.
In Nubia, it has been Nobatia which had come under severe cultural pressure from the Copts, to such an extent that the language has all but become assimilated, in the towns, though the villages largely maintained the ancient Noba language. Further upstream, evidence of the impact of the Black Death has shown a dramatic demographic decline in both Alodia and Makuria. While previously, the two were united, they had once more separated. Moreover, Alodia had been succumbing to pressure of the Shilluuk tribal confederacy from the south who had established their own domain on the borderlands ; while the Teqali have established their own state in the Nuba Hills. However, central authority had declined even in the rump states of formerly great Makuria and Alodia, where local chieftains and warlords reigned supreme.
In Nubia, we can see the decline of royal authority. In some places, it is changed for a more feudal type of spocial organization, in other places the resulting social formation is more of a clan-based nomadic system
Further westwards, in the uplands halfway to Lake Tchad, the Daju kingdom had been overrun by the Tunjur people. It is presumed that the Tunjur were a Berber dynasty and arrived from the north, though their origin is rather mysterious. What we do known is that the ruling elites were of a lighter skin complexion than their subjects and they engaged in trading with both the region around lake Tchad and Dongola. Towards the end of the 14th century, we do have records of the baptism of the Tunjuri king in Tamiat in Kemet, from where he proceeded to visit the city of Jerusalem, guided by a number of local Nubian monks.
Other Nilotic realms include the Kitara Empire, loicated in Uganda, which appears to had been founded already some time in the 10th century, and was feared by the inhabitants of the neighbouring tribes, due to their technological supremacy, their rulers had gained the reputation of gods. Legends claim that the Chwezi people, the founders of the Kitara empire had arrived in the area from the disinitegrating Empire of Axum.
Attachments
Alright so after quite some time, a new season of postings will come. This timeline will resume
Chapter 137: The Beginning of the Kongo Civilization
Greetings all, after quite some time I have decided to resume this timeline, mainly after seeing some recent feedback and likes from @Whiteshore and others.
Where have we left? Well, it has been a longtime since the last update, but we have been in 14th century Africa. What we have described was Ethiopia, and now it is time to look at the southern half of the African continent.
To most outsiders, the best and only region with regular commercial ties to the outside world would have been the Kinara Coast (1), stretching along almost the entirety of the eastern coast of Africa. This region has been home to a patchwork of petty rajas, who established their own city-states and grew immensely rich from the monsoon trade with India. Their main exports continue to be slaves, tropical wood, ivory, coral and so forth. Slaves continue to be exported mainly to southern Arabia, to a lesser extent also to western Indian
Many cities prosper, having a tens of thousands of inhabitants with features suggesting also a South Arabian,Gujarati, Tamil, or even Chinese descent, while the gross majority of course are of Bantu ancestry.
The creole culture that has developed along the Kinara coast spreads also to the neighbouring island of Madagascar, slowly making footholds along its northern coast, as Kinari city-states appear on the Comoros islands, as well as on northern Maddagascar.
Kinari culture however remains solely limited to the litoral: the savannah and forest beyond it is vaguely known: it is a land of high mountains, pastoralist-cattle hereders and generally of little interest, as the city- states turn their look to the sea and have their major trading partners in Asia.
By the late 14th century, the two dominant city-states are Kilwa and Sofala. Kilwa controls much of the central length of the Kinara coast, while Sofala grows rich from trade along the Zambezi river, making profit namely from the gold flowing downstream from Zimbabwe.
Great Zimbabwe
The kingdom of Zimbabwe in this time gradually receives some cultural influences from the Kinara coast, with some traditions of the Indosphere gradually reaching this area by the mid 14th century. However, it would be rather wrong to claim that Zimbabwe or its neighbour, Marawi , at this time form an Indianized polity, the likes of which we could have seen throughout Southeast Asia.
The second region, which needs to be considered, when speaking of the southern half of Africa in this period, is the great Rift Valley. This region has had a major weakness of not really being connected to anywhere else, and thus the civilization that has been developing in between Lake Ukerewe (2), has been rather isolated, with little external ties. However, the fertile volcanic soil and geographical features have resulted in rapid population growth and foundation of more organized societies, such as Buganda, Rwanda, Burundi and others.
Where we need to look more intensively is however the western coastal regions, near the estuary of the Congo River, where several emerging polities can be spotted by this time.
The largest and most important of these was the Kingdom of Kongo, located just to the south of the estuary of the eponymous river. Just to the north of the estuary was the Kingdom of Loango, while slightly up river Tyo.
Several other states could be found emerging in the savannah-blet to the south of the Congo Rainforest, namely Lunda along the upper Kasai river (3) and the Luba further inlands.
These emergent polities are perhaps the first glimpses of a native Congolese civilization? How is this civilization distinct? What are the marks of this unique civilization?
First, we need to remember that this was only the beginning phase of this civilization, similarly to how the Carolingian empire was the earliest phase of the Western Civilization. These states were little more than tribal Iron Age federations, where the king ruled via a multi-layered feudal system, with the basic units being villages headed by chiefs.
One important aspect of the Congolese society was the relatively large role of women and matrilineal family relations were far more important than the patrilineal line of ancestry.
The culture of the kingdom of Congo, with its matriarchal society, appears to bear slight resemblances to that of the Minoan civilization, or the garden cultures of the Iranian plateau, and in a way may contains some parallels with the Hellenic civilization, for the focus on the human (as well as animal) body, and depictions of the musculature.
Kongolese art
For what we can say is that the Congolese civilization was a matriarchical, psychocentric society (4), with the basic form of political organization being a smaller region , called mwene, roughly comparable to a duchy-rank in Europe, which gradually grow together under the authority of the kingdom of Kongo.
We can say that this civilization is only in the gestation phase by now, and little more can be said, apart from the fact that some of the foundations may have been already laid.
Why is this civilization psychocentric? Well, according to the Kongo worldview, the world is split between a world of the living and a world of the dead, with humans continually passing through these worlds. Thus, you get a perception of time as cyclical. Another important aspect is the cult of ancestors, keeping matrilineal clan identities very pronounced.
This perception of time as cyclical, along with the feudal organization of society (with the clan chiefs being the instrument of growth for this civilization at the start) sees growing inequality manifesting itself in the form of slavery. Slaves in this society are mainly used for agricultural tasks demanding a heavy supply of manual labour, as would have been the case in many other African societies.
Outside of these three regions, the southern half of Africa had remained largely unchanged. The Nantu peoples, who had originated in the Adamawa highlands continued to dominate much of the country, pushing the borders of Iron-Age agricultural techniques further inland., clearing more patches of tropical jungle from the native Pygmy tribes of the Congo Rainforest, driving them ever deeper and deeper. Similarly, in the southern tip of the continent, the Khoisan peoples were being pushed ever inwards, as the Bantu peoples pushed further and further the borders, before halting at the borders of the Kalahari desert, with the Okavango basin remaining for the Khoisan peoples, while further southwards, the Nguni clans reached the river Kei by the end of the 14th century AD, though much of the Gariep (5) and Hai-Arib (6) remain populated by the Khoisan peoples.
San hunter-gatherers
The Khoekhoe, who are cattle-herders, inhabiting the Cape region, by this time begin their migration northwards, along the Atlantic coast, displacing hunter-gatherer San peoples into the Kalahari basin.
(1)Swahili Coast
(2)Lake Victoria
(3) In the border region with Angola
(4)Kongo religion - Wikipedia
(5)Oranje River
(6)Vaal River
Where have we left? Well, it has been a longtime since the last update, but we have been in 14th century Africa. What we have described was Ethiopia, and now it is time to look at the southern half of the African continent.
To most outsiders, the best and only region with regular commercial ties to the outside world would have been the Kinara Coast (1), stretching along almost the entirety of the eastern coast of Africa. This region has been home to a patchwork of petty rajas, who established their own city-states and grew immensely rich from the monsoon trade with India. Their main exports continue to be slaves, tropical wood, ivory, coral and so forth. Slaves continue to be exported mainly to southern Arabia, to a lesser extent also to western Indian
Many cities prosper, having a tens of thousands of inhabitants with features suggesting also a South Arabian,Gujarati, Tamil, or even Chinese descent, while the gross majority of course are of Bantu ancestry.
The creole culture that has developed along the Kinara coast spreads also to the neighbouring island of Madagascar, slowly making footholds along its northern coast, as Kinari city-states appear on the Comoros islands, as well as on northern Maddagascar.
Kinari culture however remains solely limited to the litoral: the savannah and forest beyond it is vaguely known: it is a land of high mountains, pastoralist-cattle hereders and generally of little interest, as the city- states turn their look to the sea and have their major trading partners in Asia.
By the late 14th century, the two dominant city-states are Kilwa and Sofala. Kilwa controls much of the central length of the Kinara coast, while Sofala grows rich from trade along the Zambezi river, making profit namely from the gold flowing downstream from Zimbabwe.
Great Zimbabwe
The kingdom of Zimbabwe in this time gradually receives some cultural influences from the Kinara coast, with some traditions of the Indosphere gradually reaching this area by the mid 14th century. However, it would be rather wrong to claim that Zimbabwe or its neighbour, Marawi , at this time form an Indianized polity, the likes of which we could have seen throughout Southeast Asia.
The second region, which needs to be considered, when speaking of the southern half of Africa in this period, is the great Rift Valley. This region has had a major weakness of not really being connected to anywhere else, and thus the civilization that has been developing in between Lake Ukerewe (2), has been rather isolated, with little external ties. However, the fertile volcanic soil and geographical features have resulted in rapid population growth and foundation of more organized societies, such as Buganda, Rwanda, Burundi and others.
Where we need to look more intensively is however the western coastal regions, near the estuary of the Congo River, where several emerging polities can be spotted by this time.
The largest and most important of these was the Kingdom of Kongo, located just to the south of the estuary of the eponymous river. Just to the north of the estuary was the Kingdom of Loango, while slightly up river Tyo.
Several other states could be found emerging in the savannah-blet to the south of the Congo Rainforest, namely Lunda along the upper Kasai river (3) and the Luba further inlands.
These emergent polities are perhaps the first glimpses of a native Congolese civilization? How is this civilization distinct? What are the marks of this unique civilization?
First, we need to remember that this was only the beginning phase of this civilization, similarly to how the Carolingian empire was the earliest phase of the Western Civilization. These states were little more than tribal Iron Age federations, where the king ruled via a multi-layered feudal system, with the basic units being villages headed by chiefs.
One important aspect of the Congolese society was the relatively large role of women and matrilineal family relations were far more important than the patrilineal line of ancestry.
The culture of the kingdom of Congo, with its matriarchal society, appears to bear slight resemblances to that of the Minoan civilization, or the garden cultures of the Iranian plateau, and in a way may contains some parallels with the Hellenic civilization, for the focus on the human (as well as animal) body, and depictions of the musculature.
Kongolese art
For what we can say is that the Congolese civilization was a matriarchical, psychocentric society (4), with the basic form of political organization being a smaller region , called mwene, roughly comparable to a duchy-rank in Europe, which gradually grow together under the authority of the kingdom of Kongo.
We can say that this civilization is only in the gestation phase by now, and little more can be said, apart from the fact that some of the foundations may have been already laid.
Why is this civilization psychocentric? Well, according to the Kongo worldview, the world is split between a world of the living and a world of the dead, with humans continually passing through these worlds. Thus, you get a perception of time as cyclical. Another important aspect is the cult of ancestors, keeping matrilineal clan identities very pronounced.
This perception of time as cyclical, along with the feudal organization of society (with the clan chiefs being the instrument of growth for this civilization at the start) sees growing inequality manifesting itself in the form of slavery. Slaves in this society are mainly used for agricultural tasks demanding a heavy supply of manual labour, as would have been the case in many other African societies.
Outside of these three regions, the southern half of Africa had remained largely unchanged. The Nantu peoples, who had originated in the Adamawa highlands continued to dominate much of the country, pushing the borders of Iron-Age agricultural techniques further inland., clearing more patches of tropical jungle from the native Pygmy tribes of the Congo Rainforest, driving them ever deeper and deeper. Similarly, in the southern tip of the continent, the Khoisan peoples were being pushed ever inwards, as the Bantu peoples pushed further and further the borders, before halting at the borders of the Kalahari desert, with the Okavango basin remaining for the Khoisan peoples, while further southwards, the Nguni clans reached the river Kei by the end of the 14th century AD, though much of the Gariep (5) and Hai-Arib (6) remain populated by the Khoisan peoples.
San hunter-gatherers
The Khoekhoe, who are cattle-herders, inhabiting the Cape region, by this time begin their migration northwards, along the Atlantic coast, displacing hunter-gatherer San peoples into the Kalahari basin.
(1)Swahili Coast
(2)Lake Victoria
(3) In the border region with Angola
(4)Kongo religion - Wikipedia
(5)Oranje River
(6)Vaal River
Last Chapter.
Now, we will be looking at further developments of West Africa, to cover both the forest region, as well as Egnovy (1).
The major axis, along which this region was developing was the river Niger. Communication along most of the area, up until around the confluence with the Benue river remained mostly based along the river.
The kingdom of Benin, as well as the kingdom of Ife, were two major Yoruba kingdoms located to the west of the Niger Delta, rivalling the Igala kingdom near the confluence of the Benue and Niger rivers, the Edo kingdom at the Delta and the Kwararafa in the upper Benue Valley. So far, power was consolidating slowly, with outside influences few and interactions restrained mostly to the smaller region, with Kwararafa more open to influences from the Kanem basin.
Out of the other chiefdoms in the forest zone, Bonoman among the Akan was the most important, as well as the gradually emerging Ashante chiefdoms in the central regions. The grasslands region remain more important in terms of culture and population throughout the 14th century, mostly focusing on the Niger axis, which was experiencing a period of disintegration.
Many smaller states had been established along different parts of the river´s course, as the Mande Kurufaba was gradually losing hold over the western and upper portions of the river´s course, while the eastern section remained disunited.
Upstream, several states have established themselves during the course of 14th century: Igala, Nupe, Borgu, Mossi kingdoms, Zarma ,Mema and Djenné.
The Zarma people (2) were by this point already Christian, and have brought Christianity further downstream from the city of Gao, bringing with them literacy, as well as more advanced technology.
The areas between the river bend were populated chiefly by the Mossi people , who had organized themselves into a federation of smaller kingdoms. The Mossi kingdom remained pagan throughout the entire 14th century, with a notion of divine kings.
Their western neighbours, the Mande Kurufaba were at the height of their power. Having conquered the kingdoms of Wolof and Takrur, thus establishing hegemony in that corner of the world. This coincided with the spread of the Mandé languages across the entire Mandé Kurufaba, which displaces local languages in all except the most remote regions of the empire (4). This is reinforced by the fact that the Bible had been translated into the Mandé language, and thus Mandé has become a literary language, which becomes learnt by court officials and scribes.
The written word meets with the oral word, and as it is more effective, it generally displaces the entire class of griots and sages. While their tales are written down, what this brings about is that the elders gradually lose their influence. This in turn makes the society slightly more collectivist, as you now don’t really need a specific elder to remember all the stories: all it takes is a scribe who can read a written document.
The Mande Kurufaba has grown fabulously rich: on the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the king of Mande , Moses , virtually caused an economic crisis in Egypt when he gave out gold to the citizens of Tamiat.
The Mande Empire became soon interested in maritime expansion, discovering an archipelago to the west of Jolof (5), and in a further expedition, the Mandé ships arrive at the northeastern tip of an unknown landmass.
The major axis, along which this region was developing was the river Niger. Communication along most of the area, up until around the confluence with the Benue river remained mostly based along the river.
The kingdom of Benin, as well as the kingdom of Ife, were two major Yoruba kingdoms located to the west of the Niger Delta, rivalling the Igala kingdom near the confluence of the Benue and Niger rivers, the Edo kingdom at the Delta and the Kwararafa in the upper Benue Valley. So far, power was consolidating slowly, with outside influences few and interactions restrained mostly to the smaller region, with Kwararafa more open to influences from the Kanem basin.
Out of the other chiefdoms in the forest zone, Bonoman among the Akan was the most important, as well as the gradually emerging Ashante chiefdoms in the central regions. The grasslands region remain more important in terms of culture and population throughout the 14th century, mostly focusing on the Niger axis, which was experiencing a period of disintegration.
Many smaller states had been established along different parts of the river´s course, as the Mande Kurufaba was gradually losing hold over the western and upper portions of the river´s course, while the eastern section remained disunited.
Upstream, several states have established themselves during the course of 14th century: Igala, Nupe, Borgu, Mossi kingdoms, Zarma ,Mema and Djenné.
The Zarma people (2) were by this point already Christian, and have brought Christianity further downstream from the city of Gao, bringing with them literacy, as well as more advanced technology.
The areas between the river bend were populated chiefly by the Mossi people , who had organized themselves into a federation of smaller kingdoms. The Mossi kingdom remained pagan throughout the entire 14th century, with a notion of divine kings.
Their western neighbours, the Mande Kurufaba were at the height of their power. Having conquered the kingdoms of Wolof and Takrur, thus establishing hegemony in that corner of the world. This coincided with the spread of the Mandé languages across the entire Mandé Kurufaba, which displaces local languages in all except the most remote regions of the empire (4). This is reinforced by the fact that the Bible had been translated into the Mandé language, and thus Mandé has become a literary language, which becomes learnt by court officials and scribes.
The written word meets with the oral word, and as it is more effective, it generally displaces the entire class of griots and sages. While their tales are written down, what this brings about is that the elders gradually lose their influence. This in turn makes the society slightly more collectivist, as you now don’t really need a specific elder to remember all the stories: all it takes is a scribe who can read a written document.
The Mande Kurufaba has grown fabulously rich: on the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the king of Mande , Moses , virtually caused an economic crisis in Egypt when he gave out gold to the citizens of Tamiat.
The Mande Empire became soon interested in maritime expansion, discovering an archipelago to the west of Jolof (5), and in a further expedition, the Mandé ships arrive at the northeastern tip of an unknown landmass.
- Sahel
- Eastern Songhaic peoples around Niamey
- Sahara Desert
- A similar thing may have happened in OTL, though here this happens by an even greater extent, as the Bible has been translated into Mandé, which then becomes lingua franca, and is thus not left untranslated as the Quran would have been left in Arabic. Mandé thus becomes a written language, learnt by everyone who wishes to gain any important position.
- Cape Verde
So this has been it. After struggling to write this chapter I have decided to wrap up this timeline. If anyone wishes to continue this timeline and takevoer it, they are more then welcome. I am thankful to everyone of you, who had subscribed to this timeline, though I certainly did lack some kind of feedback, proposal of ideas and the such, to the extent I have seen it in other timelines.
As I have been going through the timeline later, I have found that in the beginning I could have made somethings differently. So I have decided to finish it right here, as I see no further progress from my side will continue.
I have, however decided to examine a similar scenario, but this time from a different angle. I have shifted to this timeline: https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/a-holistic-history-of-the-Ālmā-suryāyā-orbis-syriacus.
As I have been going through the timeline later, I have found that in the beginning I could have made somethings differently. So I have decided to finish it right here, as I see no further progress from my side will continue.
I have, however decided to examine a similar scenario, but this time from a different angle. I have shifted to this timeline: https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/a-holistic-history-of-the-Ālmā-suryāyā-orbis-syriacus.
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I know this timeline has been put aside, but having discovered this timeline and the site itself only recently and having really enjoyed this story very much I would like to ask what were your ideas for the future of this timeline for example: australia, the americas, colonization in general and other things you had in mind.
I was too often several chapter vehind so didn't feel comfortable giving suggestions on stuff that would have probably changed by the time I got to what was the current chapters by the time I was first reading.
i
i feel you mine doesnt also have feedback and I am tempted to take it but your style is to different and to become even remotely good at it (since yours read like if were reading a textbook from another world which I love) i do not think I will since the massive amount of effort
The timeline had no particular "purpose" as of having already some ideas as of who should expand where. Should some Age of Exploration happen I am sure Morrocco (Mortain) would join the effort as well. Rhomania (Byzantium) would most likely expand as a gunpowder empire, and just for the fun of it I would have the Finnic state (Merya? ) take up Muscovy´s role, while Novgorod could well have survived as a merchant republic.
I would have Mazoun (*Oman) make its colonial empire earlier I guess, becoming sorta the Dutch of the Indian Ocean. As for China and India I had no real plans, neither for Australia.
I had tried the storytelling approach before, but found it to be not suited for me. Usually I kept writing until I had some 3 ( later 5) pages of text on MS Word