HackneyedScribe
Ad Honorem
- Feb 2011
- 6,553
I created this thread for the purpose of sharing what pre-colonial African civilizations had which showcased their existence and to address many of the misconceptions. Now I have a feeling that some might feel the urge to use a roundabout way to put the focus on what African civilizations lacked, and I must insist that this is not the thread for that. Anyone and everyone are welcome to share about what African civilization had.
Kingdom of Aksum (one of the first Christian empires, adopting Christianity around the time of Constantine)
Remains of the biggest Aksumite stele:
The Kingdom of Aksum had many of these steles, with stories inscribed on it:
For example this stele tells how Ezana converted to Christianity as well as his military achievements:
Model of the Ta'akha Palace:
Zagwe Church at Lalibela:
They used the Ge'ez scrip such as in this early 14th century prayer book:
Early 16th century Bible in Ethiopia:
The above Bible belonged to the Church of Gefu´ Giyorgis, which is shown here:
Kilwa and Songo Mnara:
from a Persian Manuscript(Al-Maqamat) -1237 C.E :
More structures around the Swahili coast:
The structure at the upper left shows that they understood how putting arches adjacent to each other would offset the tension caused by the adjacent arch.
Timbuktu:
Laws of Commerce in Verse: This volume delineates the obligations of parties to commercial exchanges and contracts. The author focuses on sales and how individuals loaning money are to be protected in commercial transactions. Verse is used to aid in memorizing the text.
Structure of the Heavens: This text was written to train scholars in the field of astronomy, a science that Islamic tradition traces back to Adam and to the Prophet Idris. The author discusses how to use the movements of the stars to calculate the beginning of the seasons and how to cast horoscopes, among many other aspects of astronomy. Displayed is a diagram demonstrating the rotation of the heavens.
Source: Exhibition - Ancient Manuscripts from the Desert Libraries of Timbuktu | Exhibitions - Library of Congress
Architecture in Somali:
Kingdom of Aksum (one of the first Christian empires, adopting Christianity around the time of Constantine)
Remains of the biggest Aksumite stele:

The Kingdom of Aksum had many of these steles, with stories inscribed on it:
For example this stele tells how Ezana converted to Christianity as well as his military achievements:

Model of the Ta'akha Palace:

Zagwe Church at Lalibela:

They used the Ge'ez scrip such as in this early 14th century prayer book:

Early 16th century Bible in Ethiopia:

The above Bible belonged to the Church of Gefu´ Giyorgis, which is shown here:

Kilwa and Songo Mnara:


from a Persian Manuscript(Al-Maqamat) -1237 C.E :

More structures around the Swahili coast:

The structure at the upper left shows that they understood how putting arches adjacent to each other would offset the tension caused by the adjacent arch.
Timbuktu:
Laws of Commerce in Verse: This volume delineates the obligations of parties to commercial exchanges and contracts. The author focuses on sales and how individuals loaning money are to be protected in commercial transactions. Verse is used to aid in memorizing the text.

Structure of the Heavens: This text was written to train scholars in the field of astronomy, a science that Islamic tradition traces back to Adam and to the Prophet Idris. The author discusses how to use the movements of the stars to calculate the beginning of the seasons and how to cast horoscopes, among many other aspects of astronomy. Displayed is a diagram demonstrating the rotation of the heavens.

Source: Exhibition - Ancient Manuscripts from the Desert Libraries of Timbuktu | Exhibitions - Library of Congress
Architecture in Somali:

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