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The Civilizations of Africa: A History to 1800. By CHRISTOPHER EHRET. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 2002. 481 + xiv pp. Maps and illustrations. $22.50 (paper).
In a book that is intended for use by undergraduates yet conveys much in the way of new research results and new interpretation, Ehret defines four major civilizations of Africa according to the four major language groups of African peoples. He shows each of these to have undergone growth and transformation in the nearly 20,000 years of the book's time span. The language and civilizational groups are the Nilo-Saharan speakers of north central and northeastern Africa, the Niger-Congo speakers of western and central Africa, the Afrasan (also known as Afroasiatic) speakers of northern and northeastern Africa, and the Khoisan speakers of eastern and southern Africa.
In nine chronological chapters, Ehret traces the development and interaction of these four civilizations. For the period from 16,000 to 9000 B.C.E. Ehret focuses on the systems of food production for each of the four civilizations, but also notes the distinctive religious beliefs of each civilization. In Afrasan societies, religious beliefs emphasized clan deities and evil brought by harmful spirits; Nilo-Saharan societies developed nontheistic belief systems; Niger-Congo societies recognized spirits at various levels and were concerned about evil stemming from neglected ancestors or from evil living persons; and Khoisan societies emphasized a nontheistic spiritualism tied to trance-dances. Both food production and systems of belief, in Ehret's vision, have chronologically deep roots in African societies.
For the period from 9000 to 3500 B.C.E. Ehret analyzes the rise of agriculture for three civilizations and the development of new hunting systems among the Khoisan. This chapter concludes with a section placing Africa in the context of the world history of agricultural development. For the period from 3500 to 1000 B.C.E. Ehret pursues the issue of agriculture...