1. Empire Of Carthage 575 – 146 BCE

Carthage was a north African civilization. They were most known for their great general Hannibal. He used war-elephants to attack Rome. Hannibal defeated all the armies Rome sent against him but when he finally got to Rome, he just circled the capital but did not breach the walls. 

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2. Kemet/Egypt 3100 – 330 BCE

Ancient Greek travelers were told by early Egyptians that Egypt began as an Ethiopian colony. And their first leaders had Ethiopian names. The first Pharaoh of Egypt (Menes) united Upper and Lower Egypt in 2900 BCE, strengthening one of on the oldest African civilizations.

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3. Kingdom Of Punt 2300 – 980 BCE

Punt was an Ancient African civilization. Punt occupied the area of modern day Somalia. Most of our knowledge of the kingdom comes from the writings on Egyptian walls. Punt and Egypt had a long lasting relationship through trade and mutual respect. The Egyptians believed their Gods came from punt and punt was where Egyptian people originated.

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4. Mali Empire 1235 – 1460 CE

Mali rose up after the decline of the Ghana empire. This African civilization was known for its wealthy rulers.  Their wealth came mainly from their gold and salt mines. Mali’s richest king was Mansa Musa who was the richest man in the world. On his pilgrimage to Mecca he took so much gold that he upset the gold market for a decade.

Mali’s horse-mounted shock troop secured the kingdom by patrolling the perimeter. They had the largest libraries and the first universities in the modern world. Foreigners came from far and wide to experience Mali’s learning centers.

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5. Swahili Coast 1000 – 1500 CE

The Swahili coast kingdom acted as a go between for international and local merchants. The interior states took they’re goods to the coast and traded with merchant from China, Arabia, India and others.

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6. Mapungubwe Kingdom 1220 – 1300 CE

This African civilization was before great Zimbabwe.  And was believed to be Southern Africa’s first city. It was located in the area south of zimbabwe. They stablized their gold trade with their Military mite

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7. Mutapa Kingdom 1450 – 1629 CE

The kingdom controlled the gold silver and copper trades in the south. Portigal had to pay tribute to this African civilization to do business on the Indian coast. All trade in the area was taxed. 

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