Nov 12, 2012

CHAPTER 8

As the rise of Islam shifted the nexus of international trade from the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf, I see that the Axumite kingdom of Ethiopia withdrew into the central highlands, why is that? Is it because of their distinctive culture and Christianity was consolidated in isolation from the outside world? I also notice that Ethiopia extended its control southwards, over the Shoan plateau and the central region of Amhara. My question is why did they expanded, I guess they wanted a more vast trade between different places, but will these places give them a hard time?
As the Ethiopians did their thing the Muslim merchants had penetrated the Awash valley and by the 12th and 13th centuries had established a series of trading and raiding states. What benifit do the muslims gain from the peneration of the awash valley? Would it no cause conflict with other reglions? yes it brought conflict with Christian Ethiopians. I feel with the Muslim group they try convert non-Muslims to Muslims and that poses a problem. It is said that the Christian Ethiopians reached its peak when Muslim Adal almost destroyed its Christian rival, the latter only recovering when the Muslim leader was killed in battle. I find it so sad when history almost and always have to find wages of war to make a statement. For the east African interior, south of Ethiopia, was one of transition from early Iron Age to Later Iron Age technology and cultures. I notice evidence for these developments, like the periods before, is based upon linguistics and archaeology. A key feature of this transition was an expansion of cattle-keeping, often associated with the consolidation of political power and the emergence of state formation. Into this changing world migrated Nilotic-speaking pastoralists and cereal cultivators from the upper Nile regions of South Sudan and south-western Ethiopia. The origins of many of the modern peoples of the region can be traced to an intermingling from this period of Nilotic immigrants and pre-existing Bantu- and Cushitic-speaking peoples.