WI: Earlier Trans-Sahara Camel Caravans

[DominusNovus]

This one has the follow up question of “what took so long, historically?” The main question is what if the trans-Sahara caravans that connected the Mediterranean world with West Africa were developed earlier?

Historically, camels had been used in the Middle East for over a millennium before they were used to cross the Sahara, around AD 300. Of course, we can’t expect information to flow as quickly in pre-industrial times as it does now, but over 1000 years is pretty long, even for that era.

If trade between West Africa and the Mediterranean reached comparable heights to what it did during the Arab era, but instead with Roman or Carthaginian North Africa, how might history of both halves of the trade network be different?

 

[Orisha91]

I believe climate may be a culprit or major contributing factor for why a more substantial or earlier trade boost might be hard.
Jenne Jenno and some of the more northern polities still were swampland or surrounded by pockets of it pretty close to it's permanent occupation.

So, I don't see a change is likely to emerge in the south as one coming from the north.

For a quicker strengthening of Trans-Saharan trade on the south-side, I think you need stimulation from one of the Amizgh bands looking to knock off Carthage, rebel against Rome (Takfarinas), maybe remnants of the Garamantes flee from a Roman army, more Roman expeditions into West Africa, etc.

Either way, more conflict occurs in the south (Sahel) if the scenarios above produce some type of migration or conflict into the Sahel from the Southern Sahara. Soninke and Mande have the advantage long term and if boosts populations migrating to Jenne Jeno and it's surrounding for protection, all the better. Sooner or later the Soninke are gonna make a push outwards from a city-state to something larger.

You get some disruption but also a more direct interaction with Eurasian folks, trade, culture, and whatever they bring from the north, even if attenuated or small prestige goods.

 

[Richard V]

I was thinking the other day there’s no reason camels couldn’t have reached Egypt before the Bronze Age collapse. This might prevent or mitigate the collapse as trade routes could be kept running.

In a Roman period POD I would think this buffs the Carthaginians. They might explore sub-Saharan Africa and establish trade for West African gold. Carthage could be fabulously rich and keep the Romans out of North Africa

 

[GuildedAgeNostalgia]

I was thinking the other day there’s no reason camels couldn’t have reached Egypt before the Bronze Age collapse. This might prevent or mitigate the collapse as trade routes could be kept running.

In a Roman period POD I would think this buffs the Carthaginians. They might explore sub-Saharan Africa and establish trade for West African gold. Carthage could be fabulously rich and keep the Romans out of North Africa

Wouldn't/Didn't Carthage trade with West Africa via a Atlantic coastal route (it's uproven how far south they went, but we do know that Carthage did send ships to explore the Atlantic Coast of Africa)?

 

[GuildedAgeNostalgia]

Also, you don't need Camels if you keep Garamantes Civilization alive. They had cities in the Sahara and used slave labor to dig massive wells to access the Sahara's large amounts of Ground water.

 

[GuildedAgeNostalgia]

Also, if we prefer a narrow and strict view of butterflies, then West Africa could be solidly Christian before the spread of Islam.

 

[Orisha91]

Probably going to produce more conflict between Amazigh bands and the shrinking Soninke or proto Soninke settlements in the drying Hodh region of Southern Mauretania. Walata, Awdaghust, Tichitt, Nema, and Mema will send folks down south and east.

Lots more stories like Gassire's Lute detailing Soninke city state life during the era . Soninke Heroic age will be a thing before giving rise to hero kings.

The Garamantes will definitely have an influence on these southern Amizigh groups. Probably get a brief southern extension of the Garamantes Empire in the Northwest Sahel and tenuous interaction or influence on the Northern Senegal biased region.

Demographics will favor the Soninke City States before long and have them claw back any Garamantes gains.

I foresee a rivalry between any atl Ghana kingdom/empire and the Garamantes, especially over Awdaghust and the Salt trade.

Only disadvantages will be climate disruptions for the Soninke.

 

[Richard V]

Wouldn't/Didn't Carthage trade with West Africa via a Atlantic coastal route (it's uproven how far south they went, but we do know that Carthage did send ships to explore the Atlantic Coast of Africa)?

They certainly can, but camel caravans have certain advantages. They need to trade bulk goods to gold rich areas of the Niger region. The gold exporters were mostly interested in salt in the Sahara. The Carthaginians would still have to go into the desert to get it. I’m also not sure sailing vessels of the era is competitive with thousands of oasis hopping camels. These trans Saharan caravans were huge. Gold laden ships sink, caravans merely get delayed.

 

[Philip]

Wouldn't/Didn't Carthage trade with West Africa via a Atlantic coastal route (it's uproven how far south they went, but we do know that Carthage did send ships to explore the Atlantic Coast of Africa)?

Sailing north along the Sahara's west coast is difficult. The winds and currents are strongly against you. Volto do mar requires sophisticated navigation and ship building.

 

[Arkenfolm]

Wouldn't/Didn't Carthage trade with West Africa via a Atlantic coastal route (it's uproven how far south they went, but we do know that Carthage did send ships to explore the Atlantic Coast of Africa)?

It was fairly marginal and ports like Anfa (modern Casablanca) were vassals of Rome.

Also, if we prefer a narrow and strict view of butterflies, then West Africa could be solidly Christian before the spread of Islam.

It took centuries after the Muslims conquered North Africa to convert West Africa to Islam. And when they did it was very superficial for centuries, including in the elite (a key complaint among the Fulani Jihadis). Even during the European colonial era there were still large conversions to Islam among superficially Muslim peoples.

An earlier introduction of North African Christiantiy to West Africa would result in all sorts of chaos between the official Roman Christianity promoted by the Archbishop of Carthage to Donatists seeking refuge to fanatic Berber Christians who are monotheists first and foremost to simply missionaries and monks seeking martyrdom. Now considering the start of West African Islam, I think West African Christianity would be similar and it would have a fascinating relationship with the Christianity of Carthage, likely similar to Ethiopian Christianity's relationship with the Coptic Church.

 

[Pesterfield]

Wouldn't/Didn't Carthage trade with West Africa via a Atlantic coastal route

From what I can tell Saharan trade before camels was with horses and mules, also passing stuff along through middlemen.
The horses and mules could carry 60kg, a camel 240kg. The camels are also faster and of course better adapted for the desert.

 

[DominusNovus]

Also, you don't need Camels if you keep Garamantes Civilization alive. They had cities in the Sahara and used slave labor to dig massive wells to access the Sahara's large amounts of Ground water.

I’m not sure about this one. They farmed more than what is presently farmable, but still not all the Sahara.

And if they were as effective middlemen as the eventual camel caravans, then why didn’t the gold trade predate those caravans?

 

[SunKing105]

Probably you need an African-focused Carthage for that to happen. Carthage IOTL focused more attention on the Mediterranean and Sicily, which they never managed to successfully conquer and hold for any significant period of time, apart from the western parts. Ideally it wouldn't get into conflict with Rome, and if it survives as a peaceful absorption by Rome as a client state, that could lead to more intensive and earlier contacts. Or Carthage wins the Punic Wars and subsequently experiences a growth in it's power off of defeating one of it's foremost rivals. Either that, or this thread.

 

[SunKing105]

Also, there's this old TL.

 

[DominusNovus]

Probably you need an African-focused Carthage for that to happen. Carthage IOTL focused more attention on the Mediterranean and Sicily, which they never managed to successfully conquer and hold for any significant period of time, apart from the western parts. Ideally it wouldn't get into conflict with Rome, and if it survives as a peaceful absorption by Rome as a client state, that could lead to more intensive and earlier contacts. Or Carthage wins the Punic Wars and subsequently experiences a growth in it's power off of defeating one of it's foremost rivals. Either that, or this thread.

Well, I do happen to have a timeline where Carthage loses the first Punic War more quickly, so it accepts client state status, leading to better prosperity for both states, in my signature.

But I’m not sure thats a requisite. They could walk and chew gum at the same time, so to speak. The Muslim states of North Africa spent plenty of time and effort attacking the exact same islands the Carthaginians did, after all. Why were they better at trans-Saharan trade, besides the camel? No real reason, except that the trade networks were more developed. Because of the camel. Which was known among Phoenician societies in the Eastern Mediterranean. Carthage would be a natural place for them to be used, would they not? Even under the harshness of the historical Roman conquest, it isn’t as though there was a shortage of Phoenician merchants in North Africa.

 

[GuildedAgeNostalgia]

I’m not sure about this one. They farmed more than what is presently farmable, but still not all the Sahara.

And if they were as effective middlemen as the eventual camel caravans, then why didn’t the gold trade predate those caravans?

- Archeological remains Garamantes went as far South as what is now Northern Chad.

- Gold fields of Mali were located in what is now Ghana, Senegal, and Guinea on the Western edge of West Africa, Garamantes were a Central Saharan state.

- You need a unified West Africa to get the gold to the central Africa trade routes. Until Mali came around, West Africa was extremely divided, which limits the opportunity of cross continental trade, similar to how the Silk Road didn't reopen until unified by the Mongols.

 

[DominusNovus]

-Gold fields of Mali were located in what is now Ghana, Senegal, and Guinea on the Western edge of West Africa, Garamantes were a Central Saharan state.

This seems to run contrary to the argument that a longer lasting Garamantean civilization (which is pretty hard, given the environmental reasons for their decline) could fill the niche, without camels.

 

[GuildedAgeNostalgia]

This seems to run contrary to the argument that a longer lasting Garamantean civilization (which is pretty hard, given the environmental reasons for their decline) could fill the niche, without camels.

They would be the intermediary, as previously stated you can get the gold to the central Saharan trade routes, but it also requires a unified West African state.

 

[Orisha91]

Would see sooner Tuareg mixing and influence on the Niger Bend.

"Berberization" or "Tuaregization" might be a term/s used in this atl. Factions among the Garamantes will move on to chad and the Niger bend if they have water issues. Soninke will be picking up more Amazigh influence.

 

[DominusNovus]

They would be the intermediary, as previously stated you can get the gold to the central Saharan trade routes, but it also requires a unified West African state.

Seems to be circular to me - significant trade with West Africa requires a powerful West African state, which won’t arise until there is significant trade from which to grow rich.

Something is missing here.