Did you know that before the transatlantic slave trade, there were societies that flourished on the continent of Africa? In fact, there were quite a few notable societies  in Africa such as the:

Kush Kingdom (pre Nubia)

• Located in present day Sudan, Kush is the birthplace of the Kushite king Kashta who invaded Egypt in the 8th century BC and formed  the 25th dynasty of Pharaohs.
• The Capital of Kush was Napata and its most important export was iron
• Kush's demise was brought on by droughts brought on by deforestation that depleted the soil as well as invasion by the Axum

Axum Kingdom

• Located in present day Ethiopia, the Kingdom of Axum invaded Kush

The Igbo People of Nigeria

• The Igbo society that still exists in Nigeria

Things to know about early African civilizations and Africa after the Transatlantic Slave Trade:

• Civilizations not ruled by kings were usually ruled by a centralized  council of elders where people were grouped by age and kinship and taught rules of their groups.

• These smaller societies depended on farming and agriculture while larger ones depended on that plus skilled tradespeople like metallurgists, wood workers, miners and more.

• Some societies in Africa , like other parts of the world, traded slaves acquired through war. However, the external Transatlantic slave trade robbed the continent of the strongest, able bodied workers and decimated tribes of people.

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