Archive - African History Extra

The indigenous versus foreign origins of West Africa’s pre-colonial architecture.

Architecture is an aspect of culture that mediates between man and his environment, and it has been one of the first of the arts to adopt new materials…

Jul 6 •

June 2025

State, Society and Ethnicity in 19th century Adamawa

Most of the largest states in pre-colonial Africa were made up of culturally heterogeneous communities that were products of historical processes rather…

Jun 29 •

Historic links between the Maghreb and West Africa: On the Sanusiyya and anti-colonialism.

The modern separation of Africa into a “Mediterranean” North and a “Sub-Saharan” South had little basis in the historical geographies and political…

Jun 22 •

The medieval Knights of Ethiopia: a history of the Horse in the northern Horn of Africa (1000-1900CE)

Pre-colonial Africa was home to some of the oldest and most diverse equestrian societies in the world.

Jun 15 •

Historic industries of pre-colonial Africa and the glassworkers of ancient Nubia

Significant strides have been made over the last decades in the study of the pre-colonial industries of Africa, especially regarding their emergence and…

Jun 8 •

The ruined stone towns of medieval Somaliland and the empire of Adal (ca. 1415–1577)

At the end of the Middle Ages, a flourishing network of urban sites and stone settlements was integrated into the empire of Adal which covered large…

Jun 1 •

May 2025

Demystifying the stone ruins of pre-colonial Africa

The architectural heritage of pre-colonial Africa includes numerous stone monuments and cities whose construction and function are sufficiently…

May 25 •

An island bridge in the Indian Ocean: The history of Mayotte in the French Comoros (ca. 800-1841)

The Comoros archipelago, a natural stopover between the East African coast and Madagascar, was a crossroads for travelers and seafarers from across the…

May 18 •

Navigable waterways in African history

Pre-colonial African coastal societies had extensive experience with seaborne navigation, which opened up connections between the continent and the rest…

May 11 •

Stone towns on the Highveld of South Africa: an archaeological history of the Sotho-Tswana capitals (ca. 1450-1850)

The eastern plateau of South Africa, known as the Highveld, is dotted with the ruins of numerous stone towns founded at the end of the Middle Ages.

May 4 •

April 2025

The currencies and monetary systems of pre-colonial Africa

A bewildering variety of currencies circulated freely in the various states and societies of Africa during the pre-colonial period.

Apr 27 •

A forgotten African empire: the history of medieval Kānem (ca. 800-1472)

A century before Mansa Musa’s famous pilgrimage, the political and cultural landscape of medieval West Africa was dominated by the empire of Kānem.

Apr 20 •

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