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Ancient African Matriarchies: Between Myth and History
The terms Matriarchy (maternal rule) and Matrilineality (maternal ancestry) are at times used interchangeably in popular literature to describe ancient…
Jul 12
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isaac Samuel
48
2
12
A History of Agadez: The Desert city of Aïr (1400-1900)
Journal of African Cities: chapter 21
Jul 5
•
isaac Samuel
39
7
June 2026
Fractals and Euclidean Geometry in Pre-colonial African Architecture: A New Perspective
Fractals occupy a prominent place in African geometry and architecture, but they represent only one of several forms of mathematical ordering reflected…
Jun 28
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isaac Samuel
61
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14
Pre-Dynastic Egypt and the Origins of the World's First State.
The Neolithic period in North-Eastern Africa
Jun 21
•
isaac Samuel
54
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5
Ancient African Architecture in Global History.
The View from the East
Jun 14
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isaac Samuel
33
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5
Rethinking the “Technology Gap” in African History: Guns, Plows, and Furnaces.
Popular literature on the history of technology maintains that the limited adoption of more complex technologies in pre-colonial Africa placed the…
Jun 7
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isaac Samuel
72
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May 2026
The History of Writing in African Languages: From Arabic to Vernacular.
Ancient Africa was a land of multiple literacies.
May 31
•
isaac Samuel
49
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10
The Camel in African History: Ancient Ships of the Sahara
The Camel has an almost mythical place in the lore of the desert.
May 24
•
isaac Samuel
49
12
12
African and European Explorers in the 19th century: Competing Narratives of “Discovery.”
In 1596, the Ethiopian monk Takla ’Alfā left his home near Lake Tana, at the source of the Blue Nile, and embarked on a pilgrimage that took him through…
May 17
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isaac Samuel
56
4
15
The Luo Migrations: Reassessing “Stateless” Societies in Pre-Colonial Africa
Africa occupies a foundational place in the development of modern political anthropology.
May 10
•
isaac Samuel
43
4
11
African Revolutions and External Influences during the Long Nineteenth Century
In the opening decades of the 19th century, Africa witnessed the emergence of new economic and political dynamics that intersected with, and were in…
May 3
•
isaac Samuel
59
13
April 2026
Africa Was Not an Anarchist Paradise: Misconceptions about Precolonial State-Building in Africa
Africa was not an anarchist paradise; it underwent broadly similar processes of centralisation and state formation to those found elsewhere, with…
Apr 26
•
isaac Samuel
144
19
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