"As an introduction to how the history of an African society can be reconstructed from largely nonliterate sources, and to the Swahili in particular, . . . a model work."—International Journal of African Historical Studies

"As an introduction to how the history of an African society can be reconstructed from largely nonliterate sources, and to the Swahili in particular, . . . a model work."—International Journal of African Historical Studies

Spurred in part by the ongoing re-evaluation of sources and methods in research, African historiography in the past two decades has been characterized by the continued branching and increasing sophistication of methodologies and areas of specialization. The rate of incorporation of new sources and methods into African historical research shows no signs of slowing.This book is both a snapshot of current academic practice and an attempt to sort through some of the problems scholars f...

Africa is a huge continent, as large as the more habitable areas of Europe and Asia put together. It has a history immensely long, yet the study of that history as an academic discipline in its own right is little more than fiftyyears old. Since then the subject has grown enormously, but the question of what this history is and how it has been approached still needs to be asked, not least to answer the question of why should we study it.This book takes as its subject the last 10,00...

A panoramic narrative that places ancient Africa on the stage of world historyThis book brings together archaeological and linguistic evidence to provide a sweeping global history of ancient Africa, tracing how the continent played an important role in the technological, agricultural, and economic transitions of world civilization. Christopher Ehret takes readers from the close of the last Ice Age some ten thousand years ago, when a changing climate allowed for the...

In this book, you’ll learn about the people who introduced the “Neolithic revolution” to the world. Beginning 15,000 years ago, there was a cultural community of Black people who traveled far and wide, introducing the world to major changes. These changes would pave the way for modern civilization. Specifically, you’ll learn about: The unknown history of Egypt, Nubia, the Sahara, and West Africa. The science of the massive stone monuments, temples, and pyramids we find throughout the world...

Tracing the Journey of Global LanguagesPatrick Foote's Immigrant Tongues is the ultimate language history book, blending stories of migration, culture, and evolution to uncover how languages have shaped our world. Perfect for fans of linguistics gifts and etymology dictionaries, this book combines the fascinating history of English language development with tales of other lingua francas and their profound global impact.Disc...

People within the Malay world hold strong but diverse opinions about the meaning of the word Melayu, which can be loosely translated as Malayness. Questions of whether the Filipinos are properly called "Malay", or the Mon-Khmer speaking Orang Asli in Malaysia, can generate heated debates. So too can the question of whether it is appropriate to speak of a kebangsaan Melayu (Malay as nationality) as the basis of membership within an aspiring postcolonial nation-state, a political rather than...

The Indian Ocean remains the least studied of the world's geographic regions. Yet there have been major cultural exchanges across its waters and around its shores from the third millennium B.C.E. to the present day. Historian Edward A. Alpers explores the complex issues involved in cultural exchange in the Indian Ocean Rim region over the course of this long period of time by combining a historical approach with the insights of anthropology, art history, ethnomusicology, and geography. The...

The Ancient history of Africa can be thought of as a history of beginnings, for it is in Africa that the human story first begins. In telling this story of Africa's past, a variety of images and maps are included — which means that you'll never get "lost" in a "sea" of text. And like the cover says, everything is "fully explained" (without becoming — tedious, boring, dull etc.). The end-result of all this is a truly engaging book, suitable for all, that will likely change how you think abo...

This new revised edition of African Civilizations re-examines the physical evidence for developing social complexity in Africa over the last six thousand years. Unlike the two previous editions, it is not confined to tropical Africa but considers the whole continent. Graham Connah focuses upon the archaeological research of two key aspects of complexity, urbanism and state formation, in ten main areas of Africa: Egypt, North Africa, Nubia, Ethiopia, the West African savanna, the West Afric...

Two Arabic Travel Books combines two exceptional exemplars of Arabic travel writing, penned in the same era but chronicling wildly divergent experiences. Accounts of China and India is a compilation of reports and anecdotes on the lands and peoples of the Indian Ocean, from the Somali headlands to China and Korea. The early centuries of the Abbasid era witnessed a substantial network of maritime trade—the real-life background to the Sindbad tales. In this account, we firs...