The Cambridge History of Africa, Vol. 2: c. 500 B.C.-A.D. 1050 (Volume 2) [Hardcover]

J. D. Fage (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 1979 | ISBN-10: 0521215927 | ISBN-13: 978-0521215923

After the prehistory of Volume I, Volume II of The Cambridge History of Africa deals with the beginnings of history. It is about 500 B.C. that historical sources begin to embrace all Africa north of the Sahara and, by the end of the period, documentation is also beginning to appear for parts of sub-Saharan Africa. North of the Sahara, this situation arises since Africans were sharing in the major civilizations of the Mediterranean world. It is shown that these northern Africans were not simply passive recipients of Phoenician, Greek, Roman and Arab influences, or of the great religions and cultures of Judaism, Christianity and Islam coming from the Semitic world. They adapted these things to their own particular needs and purposes, and sometimes too contributed to their general development. But the North African civilization failed to make headway south of the Sahara. The agricultural crops that sustained it were unsuited to the tropics: the growth of populations large enough to secure effective mobilization of resources therefore depended on the development of new crops by Sudanic cultivators immediately south of the Sahara. When this had been done, the foundations were laid for a wholly African civilization and, by the end of the period, the Bantu expansion had brought almost all the southern half of the continent within its sphere.

Editorial Reviews

Review

' ... a work of elegant scholarship and an invaluable research tool.' The American Historical Review

Book Description

The five and a half centuries described in this volume during the period from c. 1050 to c. 1600, were those in which Iron Age cultures passed from their early and experimental phases into stages of maturity characterized by long-distance trade and complex, many-tiered political systems. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 858 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (March 30, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521215927
• ISBN-13: 978-0521215923
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,106,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too detailed and quite difficult to follow, February 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cambridge History of Africa, Vol. 2: c. 500 B.C.-A.D. 1050 (Volume 2) (Hardcover)

This book is a wonderful source of detailed information about almost anything about the African History. However, as a University student, I've found it too difficult as textbook. I also think that it lacks useful maps to clarify geographically the populations he is dealing with.