Black History Doesn't Begin With Slavery - Part One

4,000 Years, Not 400!

Most African Americans descend from the half million Africans who landed on the shores of North America as captives during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The vast majority came from Western Africa (shaded area below) whose history is a story of the rise and fall of many kingdoms and empires. In this one post, we will journey through a largely untold history of African Americans from 2000 BC to 2000 AD.

2000 BC to 500 AD:

The shaded area of Western African where most African American ancestors came from shows evidence of civilizations that go back to at least 2000 BC. 

(1) In West hundreds of abandoned stone settlements have been found near Tichitt and Walata (above) dating back to 2000 BC in an area that later became part of the Ancient Ghana Empire (present-day southern Mauritania and western Mali) which ruled for 900 years from the capital city of Koumbi Selah (pictured above).

(2)&(2b) The Nok Civilization in present-day Nigeria is believed to have started around 1000 BC. Excavations have found close to one hundred Nok settlements revealing terracotta sculptures (pictured above), pottery, and evidence of large iron furnaces dating back to at least 500 BC.

(3) Evidence of the Sao Civilization (present-day eastern Nigeria, southern Chad, northern Cameroon) near Lake Chad has traced its history to around 300 BC based on the discovery of pottery and terracotta sculptures (pictured above) at several sites in the area. Some burial grounds show people buried in the fetal position inside large jars (pictured above) similar to some burial sites in Egypt. New excavations from the region of the Sao have revealed evidence of an even earlier civilization referred to by archaeologists as the Gajiganna – Zilum Complex dating back to at least 1800 BC.

(4) In northeastern Africa, the ancient African Kingdom of Nubia (present-day Sudan) actually goes back to 2000 BC. Nubia, also known as Cush, built more pyramids (pictured above) than Egypt, albeit smaller, and eventually conquered and ruled Egypt during its 25th Dynasty (760 BC–656 BC). Although not located in western Africa some suggest archaeological evidence and written Egyptian records may prove ties existed between Ancient Egypt, Nubia, and the Sao/Gajiganna – Zilum Civilizations.

The Western African civilizations of Tichitt and Walata, Nok, Sao, Gajiganna – Zilum, and the Ghana Empire were all located in the section of Africa where most African Americans would eventually come from (shaded area of map).