Evidence suggests domestication of agriculture and trade with nearby regions. Mcintosh and susan keech mcintosh, the inland niger delta before the empire of mali. Jenne jeno and diadiagha are indispensable to the history of the middle niger, but critical to their own development was the anterior province of mema. From the discovery of jennejeno, what did historians learn about the history of west africa. The settlement proceeded to grow rapidly during the first millennium a. Third grade social studies students participate in an exercise on trade practices in the ancient african city of jenne jeno. The most notable structure in the city is the great mosque, which is the largest. It was the first indigenous city recognized in africa south of the sahara, contradicting the longheld assumption that african cities were initially colonies of or in. In the 11th and 12th centuries, jenne jeno steadily declined due to competition from the nearby islamic town of jenne, and by 1400 ce, it had become a ghost town. Occupation of jenne jeno, modern day southern mali, 250 b.
In the first instalment of the epic km journey from malis capital city of bamako, onuora stops in the ancient trading city of djenne to learn. Heres a tip, coming from a soontobe history english teacher. Jennejeno is an ancient city in the middle niger floodplain of the niger river in presentday mali. A walled community home to approximately 50,000 people at its height. Jenne jeno must have engaged in trade because its people were using materials like iron and stone that had to have been brought from hundreds of. Pick up almost any book on early and medieval world history and empire, and. The terracotta figures associated with this civilization represent men and women, singular and in pairs, in a variety of attire and poses, including sitting. Evidence from jenne jeno volume 22 issue 1 roderick j. The ghana reader does full and eloquent justice to ghanas rowdy and cacophonous history and to its luminous promise. Not long after though, she abruptly leaves jenne jeno to return, according to her sister, to dogonland. It was an extraordinary place, this jenne jeno, but one of the things that they were most interested in was the evidence for ironworking, because this was believed to be such a high and advanced technology that it surely had been brought in by the islamic people, who came along with their faith sometime in the 1200s, so long after jenne jeno. From dust to digital open book publishers openedition books. Ancient african civilization of jenne jeno lasted longer. Those same townspeople directed the archaeologists to the tall mound a tell, or artificial hillock, a city site built up of centuries, millennia of trash and rainmelted mud buildings marking the ancient urban settlement.
Scientific excavations in the 1970s and 1980s revealed that the mound is composed of over five meters of debris accumulated during sixteen centuries of occupation that began c. Evidence from jenne jeno, journal of african history, 22 1981, 122. Jennejeno is one of the oldest cities of subsaharan africa that historians know about today. Djennedjenno, one of the bestknown archaeological sites in subsaharan africa, spreads over several acres of rutted fields near the present city of djenne in central mali. Jennejeno emerged around the 3rd century bce and by the 1st century ce, it had grown to about 30 acres. Excavations at jennejeno, hambarketolo, and kaniana inland niger delta. Although the romanticism of exploring ancient temples with a bullwhip and a battered hat is quite far from reality, archaeology is still associated with harrison fords adventurist charisma and, perhaps more erroneously, misconceived solely as a. By 900 ce, it had expanded to become one of the largest urban centers of the region, with at one point more than forty thousand people. He got up, dressed for the coming day and was now up and ready for. Jenne jeno grew into a thriving city by 400 ce and became the major commercial center of west africa in the 8th century ce with a special focus on iron manufacturing and trade. Evidence from jennejeno, journal of african history, 22 1981, 122. Three decades of sustained excavation of the tell, or foundation, of jenne jeno, begun by roderick and susan keech mcintosh in 1977, have contributed an especially detailed case study of the development of a major sahelian urban center from 250 b. The most culturally enduring image of archaeology involves digging for ancient artifacts, excavating tombs, and, of course, indiana jones.
It was founded between 300 and 500 bce, and lasted 1,600 years. Djennedjenno is a unesco world heritage site located in the niger river valley in the. The archaeological site of jennejeno in modern day mali, offers us great insight to the west african way of life and the impact of the transsaharan trade by the north african arabs. Recent archaeological excavations at the ancestral site of jenne jeno have established that ironusing and manufacturing peoples were occupying the site in the third century b. Prospering thanks to fertile agricultural land and as a hub of regional trade. In no place in the world do you have a civilization entirely built on mud.
Barren and carpeted by a thick layer of broken pottery, jennejeno lay mute for decades, its history and significance totally unknown. If not, try then looking, still in the index, jenne jeno and see what it tells you. Inhabitants lived in the civilization as early as 300 bce. E, was the first known indigenous city in subsaharan africa where the inhabitants lived in neighboring independent clusters rather than a single, core urban center. Because of its location along the niger river, jenne jeno was an important walled trade city that drew multiple ethnic groups and was part of both the ghana and mali empires. I am not convinced by mcintoshs historical expla nation for.
African art is under threat in djennedjenno the new. Outline the significance of transsaharan trade to africas history and culture. It is wellrenowned for its mud brick architecture, and today most of the city is considered a unesco world heritage site. Ap world history strayer chapter 6 flashcards coursenotes. The good collector and the premise of mutual respect. If you go to the index of your book first try looking up sahara. This is a lesson intended for a 9th grade african history course at san. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive. Djennedjenno aka djennejeno, jennejeno, or old jenne was an ancient city located in. Include impact on transportation, cities and economic systems. One of the first urbanized centers in western africa. Towns and cities have a long history, although opinions vary on which ancient settlement are truly cities. Possible costs would include higher rate of crime, higher mortality rates, higher.
Archaeology reveals the rich histories of complex cultures in the cradle of humankind. It had cities two thousand years ago archeologists found copper at jennejeno. The commune includes ten of the surrounding villages and in 2009 had a population of 32,944. Laji goes in search of her and finds more than he expects, a series of revelations that will forever change his relationship with his loved ones and the society he loves for. But it had no king, no civic center, and no big temple. Include significant peoples and the importance of trade. Review and ancient city of jennejeno africa notespictures 7th grade history. We now recognize the shallowness and nonsense of this view. The benefits of dense settlement included reduced transport costs, exchange of ideas, sharing of natural resources, large local markets, and in some cases amenities such as running water and sewage disposal. One beautiful day, a young jenne jeno civilian woke up with the sunrise before the hot sun had struck with full force.