Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were three of the greatest western African trading states. The three states dominated west Africa from 300 to 1600 A.D. and became powerful by controlling trade in west Africa. Ghana emerged in the fifth century C.E. on the upper Niger Valley. The land here was very rich, most of the people in this area were famers. Not only is the kingdom of Ghana known for agriculture it is also significant for gold trade. Ghana was located near one of the richest producing areas in all of Africa. Ghanaian merchants transported gold to morocco and then it was distributed throughout the world. Ghana was the richest of the three states, it is actually known as “the land of gold”. Ghana also exported ivory, ostrich feathers, leather …show more content…
Mali arose after the fall of Ghana and extended from the Atlantic coast inland as far as the trading cities of Timbuktu and Gao on the Niger river. Under the rule of Mansa, Musa the city became a major academic and cultural center in west Africa. He developed a system like the cast system for social organization. Mansa Musa also introduced the kingdom to Islam and incorporated the laws of the Koran into his culture. A university for learning and culture, a mosque and libraries were built the cities of Musa became a place for poets, scholars, and artists to connect. The gold trade made Mali wealthy and powerful during this time. The land here was rich and moist for growing crops; Sorghum, millet and rice were popular crops in Mali. The chieftain of the village is called a mansa, the mansa served as a religious and administrative leader and was responsible for forwarding tax revenues from the village to higher levels of government. This kingdom lasted the longest of the three …show more content…
Some ways that ancient India and china are similar and different are religion, economics, social structure, and art. Indian religions influenced the religion of southeast Asia. Southeast Asians believed that spirits dwelled in the mountains, rivers, streams, and other sacred places in their environment. Hindi and Buddhist ideas began to penetrate the area early in the first millennium. The temples built in southeast Asia resembled the temples in southern Indian. India also influenced southwest Asians with a writing system. Indian merchants and missionaries brought along written scrips during travel. A common art the two shared is the art of shadow puppets. As far as we know it doesn’t seem that the dividing lines between social classes were as rigid in Asia as they are in India. In southeast Asia at the top of the social ladder were the hereditary aristocrats, who monopolized political power and economic wealth. Beyond the wealthy aristocrats living in big towns, where the mass population composed of farmers, fishers, and merchants. Social structures, ethic and cultural diversity differed significantly from country to county. In India people were divided up based on occupation and ethnic backgrounds, people in India were freer to work as what you pleased. But both countries were ruled by a higher chieftain which was responsible for passing on the tax revenues to the central