Africa in Antiquity

The Beginning of Traditions

In this era, people established the first cultural traditions and united in their beliefs and way of life. With such a large continent as Africa, very different cultures developed on this continent, all of which contributed to the civilization of mankind. Most people are only familiar with the cultures of North Africa, but the first civilized population groups emerged across the entire continent.

Strongly Influenced by Immigrants

The cultural development of Africa in antiquity was strongly influenced by immigrants from various parts of the world. From Europe, the people of the Roman Empire and, sporadically, from Greece brought numerous technologies to the continent. These included construction and agriculture. But not only the Romans, but also Semitic Phoenicians from Asia shaped the history of Africa during antiquity. The Phoenicians were mainly based in the north of the continent, founded trading posts there and introduced the use of metals such as iron, copper and bronze. They taught the indigenous tribes farming and cultivated plants such as olives, wine and olive trees. In antiquity, the Phoenicians, also known as the Punics, had a great and lasting influence on the development of Africa.

The Strongholds in Antiquity

Egypt was one of the strongholds of African cultures in antiquity. At that time, the country on the Nile was already very civilized and benefited greatly from the influences of the Romans and the Punics. Egypt was not the only country to play a major role in Africa during this era. On the north coast of present-day Tunisia, the city of Carthage was one of the most modern cities in Africa. Due to its location on the Mediterranean, it was a very rich and financially powerful city. For many decades, Carthage was a thorn in the side of the Roman Empire; the city suffered greatly from the constant attacks by the Romans. In 146 BC, the troops broke Carthage's resistance and, after a three-year siege, destroyed one of the strongholds of antiquity.

In the Rest of Africa

The north of the continent was already more advanced in terms of culture and politics than the rest of Africa during antiquity. One reason for this was the Sahara, one of the largest deserts in the world. As it blocked the way to the exploration of the rest of the continent, many peoples and conquerors were prevented from advancing further into the black continent. Crossing it was very strenuous and fraught with many dangers, which few military leaders dared to take on. Nevertheless, there is evidence of early cultural developments during antiquity in other regions of the continent. The territory of the Kingdom of Aksum is one example. Aksum extended over large parts of East Africa and was known in antiquity for its flourishing trade and coinage.