African Civilizations: Precolonial Cities and States in Tropical Africa: An Archaeological Perspective [Paperback]

Graham Connah (Author), Douglas Hobbs (Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521319927 | ISBN-13: 978-0521319928 | Publication Date: April 24, 1987

Urban settlements and states were a feature of precolonial societies in many parts of Africa. In this study, Graham Connah uses the direct evidence provided by archaeological investigation to demonstrate the complexity of these urban societies, to understand their origins, their economic basis and social structure. Well illustrated chapters deal with African civilizations in Nubia, Ethiopia, the West African savanna, the West African forest, the East African coast, the Zimbabwe plateau and Central Africa.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'... provides an even-handed synthesis that will be of value to students of African history and archaeology alike.' Journal of African History

Book Description

This major new revised edition of African Civilizations re-examines the physical evidence for developing social complexity in tropical Africa over the last four thousand years and considers possible explanations of the developments that gave rise to it. Graham Connah focuses upon urbanism and state formation in seven main areas of Africa: Nubia, Ethiopia, the West African savanna, the West African forest, the East African coast and islands, the Zimbabwe Plateau, and parts of Central Africa. Extensively illustrated and offering an extended bibliography, this book provides essential reading on the topic. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (April 24, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521319927
• ISBN-13: 978-0521319928
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #786,654 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars from what little archeaology, December 25, 2006

By 

The Djeli (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: African Civilizations: An Archaeological Perspective (Paperback)

The approach Connah takes with this text is that he is discussing Africa, excluding Egypt and the Maghreb which he considers not ever being a part of "black" Africa. It is here that he makes his first folly. Secondly he attempts to discuss tropical Africa primarily from archaeological evidence. This works well, since few historians focus on history in this way. The problem with this is that Africa's story is a million times more complex and dynamic than archaeological evidence has provided. Not because of some elusive romantic idea of Africa but from the simple fact, which Connah admits, that archaelogical/anthropological research in Africa is next to nothing in comparison to other places. The majority of such studies focus on pre-modern man's existence in Africa and not on modern man's civilization in Africa. For this reason alone such an approach to African history, as good as its intentions and scholarly methods may sound can be revealing in some senses, but extremely limiting.
I do recommend this text, for the simple fact that there is a fair amount of knowledge an Africanist can learn from some of the archaeological work discussed but I warn you that this should not be considered a well-rounded text for studying Africa's history.