Timeline of Ancient Africa

Timeline of Ancient Africa

Discover timeline of ancient Africa. Beginning with the earliest farmers and the Egyptian culture, medieval empires such as Mali and Songhai emerged in West Africa.

 

The Timeline of Ancient Africa: BCE

• 5000: People begin to farm along the Nile River in Egypt.
• 2950: Egypt is first united under Menes, the first pharaoh of Egypt.
• 2600: The first pyramid of Egypt, the Pyramid of Djoser, is constructed.
• 2500: The Great Pyramid of Giza is built.
• 2000: The Bantu peoples begin to migrate south into central and southern Africa.
• 1279: Rameses II becomes pharaoh of Egypt.
• 1070: The Kingdom of Kush gains its independence from Egypt.
• 814: The city of Carthage is established by the Phoenician Empire.
• 715: The Kushites conquer Egypt and will rule until 662 BCE.
• 650: Carthage becomes independent. It grows into one of the most powerful cities on the Mediterranean Sea.
• 590: The capital of Kush moves from Napata to Meroe.
• 550: The Nok peoples begin to forge iron tools and weapons.
• 525: The Persians conquer Egypt.
• 332: The Greeks, led by Alexander the Great, conquer Egypt.
• 264: Carthage fights the First Punic War against Rome.
• 146: Carthage is defeated by Rome. Roman forces destroy the city.
• 30: Cleopatra VII, the last pharaoh of Egypt, dies. Egypt becomes part of Rome.

The Timeline of Ancient Africa: BCE

• 100: The Kingdom of Aksum rises to power in Ethiopia.
• 300: The Ghana Empire begins to rise in power in West Africa. It will rule the region until around 1100 CE.
• 325: Ezana becomes king of Aksum. The Aksum Empire will reach its peak under his rule.
• 709: North Africa comes under the control of Arab Muslims.
• 711: The Moors of North Africa invade and conquer the Iberian Peninsula of Europe.
• 1100: The city of Great Zimbabwe is founded in Central Africa.
• 1235: The Empire of Mali is established by Sundiata Keita.
• 1300: The Kingdom of the Kongo rises to power in Central Africa. It will rule until the 1900s, when it will be colonized by Portugal.
• 1324: Mansa Musa, Emperor of Mali, makes his famous pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
• 1464: The Songhai Empire comes into power in Western Africa under the leadership of Sunni Ali.
• 1493: Askia Muhammad becomes emperor of the Songhai. He brings Islam to the empire.
• 1497: Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama sails around the southern tip of Africa on his way to India.
• 1500: The Atlantic slave trade begins shipping slaves to the Americas. Around 12 million slaves will be shipped to the Americas over the next 400 years.
• 1585: The Kingdom of Luba is established in Central Africa.
• 1591: Invaders from Morocco take control of the Songhai cities of Timbuktu and Gao.
• 1610: The Mali Empire comes to an end.
• 1652: The Dutch establish a colony at Cape Town in South Africa.
• 1869: Construction on the Suez Canal is complete.
• 1889: The Second Boer War begins in South Africa between the Boers and the British.
• 1962: Nelson Mandela is arrested and jailed in South Africa.
• 1994: Apartheid comes to an end in South Africa.

Read also: Ancient Mesopotamia Timeline