Description
Book SynopsisAn essential overview of great kingdoms in African history and their legacies, written by world-leading experts. From the ancient Nile Valley to the savannas of medieval West Africa, the highlands of Ethiopia and on to the forests, lakes and grasslands to the south, African civilizations have given rise to some of the world's most impressive kingdoms. Yet Africa's history is often little known beyond the devastation wrought by the slave trade and European colonial rule. In this groundbreaking new book, nine leading historians of Africa take a fresh look at these great kingdoms and empires over five thousand years of recorded history. How was kingship forged in Africa and how did it operate? Was dynastic power maintained by consent or by coercion? Did kings - and queens - display and project that power for all to see, or did they hide it away, as beneath the fringed crowns that concealed the faces of sacred Yoruba rulers? In what ways have African peoples themselves recorded, celeb
Trade Review'A contemporary reawakening of the rise, fall and remains of African ancient kingdoms … Illuminates the many myths and histories that make the continent magical. This book is useful in invigorating new interests in the understanding of Africa’s past and present, especially its history of creativity' - RA Magazine
'An enlightening non-colonial history … One would hope the “noble savage” trope was debunked decades ago, but were any more nails required for that particular coffin, then this book provides them' - Geographical
'Fascinating … Great insight into the breadth and depth of African history - in particular the history before Europeans arrived on the scene' - Popular History Books
'With contributions from an array of leading historians, this is a vital work that corrects the tendency to define Africa’s past by European colonisation' - The Irish Times
'There is much that is insightful, new, and useful to commend this book' - The Past
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Kings, Kingship and Kingdoms in African History
John Parker
1. Ancient Egypt and Nubia: Kings of Floods and Kings of Rain
David Wengrow
2. The Sudanic Empires: The Gold, the Arts, the River
Rahmane Idrissa
3. The Solomonic Christian Kingdom of Ethiopia
Habtamu Tegegne and Wendy Laura Belcher
4. The Yoruba and Benin Kingdoms
Olatunji Ojo
5. The Kongo Kingdom
Cécile Fromont
6. Buganda
John Parker
7. From Hausa Kingdoms to the Sokoto Caliphate
Muhammadu Mustapha Gwadabe
8. The Akan Forest Kingdom of Asante
John Parker
9. The Zulu Kingdom
Wayne Dooling
