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Location:
The old empire of Ghana is not
located in the same place as the modern country of Ghana in West Africa.
Two different places! Ancient Ghana was located about 400 miles
northwest of the modern day country of the same name. Click
here to see a map of the two locations. When the modern country of
Ghana won their independence, they took the name of a famous (and
nearby) ancient kingdom - the kingdom of Ghana. Government
of the Kingdom of Ghana:
The king, ably assisted by his council
of elders, headed the government. The kingdom was divided into districts.
A district leader gently guided each district. They had laws that people
mostly obeyed.
Army:
Ghana was a great military power. Legend says the king could order 200,000
warriors and 40,000 more with bows and arrows. That's a lot of manpower.
It might even be true.
Daily
Life: The people were farmers and miners
and artists. They made the most wonderful fabrics. Using mud to make designs
on dyed cloth and set in the sun made mud cloth. The sun baked the mud and
created a design in the cloth. They had fresh fruit and sweet potatoes. They
had the Niger River, which provided water for farming, washing, and bathing,
and fish and waterfowl to eat. They worked very hard, but their life was
good. They had ample food. They were protected. They sang. They laughed.
Griots:
The griots were the storytellers. Kids
did not go to school, as we know school. Rather, people collected in the
evening to hear the wonderful stories of the griots who were responsible
for passing on stories and traditions from one generation to another.
They loved to hear any stories, but they especially loved
stories about Anansi the
Spider!
The
people were happy: The people of Ghana
loved their life. They were ready for trouble. They had squabbles with their neighbors from time
to time. They had a huge army. But the king did not want to fight. He wanted to conduct public prayer in the big open plazas of his
city, as he had always done.
The people in the villages wanted to hear the griots, the storytellers, telling
the stories they loved so much. All people, common
and noble, wanted to dance at the festivals in the masks they so loved to
make and wear, accompanied by the drums for which they were famous. Wealth
Through Trade: Thanks
to the cleverness of their king, the people of ancient
Ghana were rich! Ghana never owned gold or salt mines. Salt came from
the salt mines controlled by kingdoms to the north of Ghana, kingdoms in
the north Sahara Desert. Gold came from the gold mines controlled by
kingdoms to the south of Ghana. What Ghana controlled was the trade
route between the salt mines and the gold mines. Ghana
offered the traders a deal. Ghana's large army assured the traders of
safe passage. In return, Ghana restricted trade to gold dust only. They
kept the gold nuggets for themselves. Ghana became the guardians
and the negotiators. As more and more traders braved the Trans-Sahara Trade
Route, bringing
spices and silks to Ghana, and taking gold in trade, the Kingdom of Ghana
flourished. Ghana and other West African kingdoms soon became collectively
known as The Gold Coast.
Quick
Look
Time Period: The kingdom of Ghana
began around 400 CE, grew to power by 800 CE,
and was one of the most powerful empires in the world by 1070 CE. They
lasted until around 1230 CE, when the Kingdom of Mali took over.
Click
here to learn more.
Nickname:
The
Gold Coast
Natural resource:
Niger
River
Industries: Farming,
trading salt and gold,
defense (army)
Agricultural crops: Yams (sweet
potatoes), beans, rice, onions, sorghum,
millet, papaya, gourds, cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, cotton, and
peanuts.
Economic specialization: Traders,
farmers, blacksmiths, soldiers, griots - the
storytellers
Famous Ghanians: Anansi
the Spider, Griots
People: Happy. The common people worked
very hard. Nobles were
more comfortable. The king and the common people followed traditional
African religion and customs. Everyone made time for music,
art, and the
griots.
Religion:
Clothing:
Colorful, cotton
Maps of Ancient Ghana:
Exploring
Africa
Ancient
Ghana
Ghana
Today: Click
here to visit a school in modern day West Africa,
in the modern country of Ghana.
This country has nothing to do with
ancient Ghana. It is not even located in the same place. When the
modern country of Ghana gained independence, it took the name of a
famous place in history, one that had been located about 1400 years
and about 400 miles away - the ancient kingdom of Ghana.
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Free
Interactive Online Games for West Africa
West
Africa - Rags to Riches 1
West
Africa - Rags to Riches 2
West
Africa - Rags to Riches 3
Columns
Interactive
Interactive
Tutor
Interactive
Puzzle
Free
Africa Presentations
in PowerPoint format
To learn more about
Africa, click on Anansi
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Ancient
African Kingdoms