Changes

==Africa==

==Africa==

As we have already seen in this course, language played a central role in defining a society.  This was also true in sub-Saharan Africa (south of the Saharan desert), where the Bantu language was shared by peoples in West Africa prior to 1000 B.C.  Historians refer to the West Africans as “Bantu speakers” who lived along the rain forest on the edge of what is now Nigeria.  The Bantu speakers began migrating to the east and south of Africa around 2000 B.C., and this migration was at its peak between about 700 and 500 B.C.  By A.D. 1000, the migration had ceased and several Bantu kingdoms arose in southern Africa.

As we have already seen in this course, language played a central role in defining a society.  This was also true in sub-Saharan Africa (south of the Saharan desert), where the Bantu language was shared by peoples in West Africa prior to 1000 B.C.  Historians refer to the West Africans as “Bantu speakers” who lived along the rain forest on the edge of what is now Nigeria.  The Bantu speakers began migrating to the east and south of Africa around 2000 B.C. (see the movement from the region labeled as "1" in the top figure to the right), and this migration was at its peak between about 700 and 500 B.C. (forming the nucleus marked as "9" in the bottom figure on the right).  By A.D. 1000, the migration southward (e.g., the arrow marked as "10" in the bottom figure on the right) had ceased and several Bantu kingdoms then arose in southern Africa.

 

In eastern Africa, the Arabic language was influential.  When the Bantu language collided with Arabic, the result was the Swahili for the peoples of east Africa.

In eastern Africa, the Arabic language was influential.  When the Bantu language collided with Arabic, the result was the Swahili for the peoples of east Africa.