One theory that remains widely accepted amongst modern scientists is that Africa was the origin of mankind as we know it. Being the second largest and most populous continent in the world, and home to over 14% of the entire human population, this theory certainly bears a weighty significance on science, history and anthropology.
As the Cradle of Humanity, Africa’s rich history is actually a common history to all mankind. For this reason alone it should engender in us a keen interest in the origin of mankind, as well as the formation of civilisation as we know it today.
Africa is the one continent that has been plagued by some of the worst human evils to date. Slavery, aggressive opposition and even torture defined much of what happened to the native people through the centuries. Sometimes, this was at the hands of fellow Africans. However, Africans were more often brutalised by the colonialists and other foreigners that desired to invade the land.
The written annals of Africa begin in the 4th millennium Before our Common Era (BCE), although evidence, fossils and spoken tales precede this period. It was with the rise of the Egyptian civilisation around the Nile Valley that these formal records began. Even with these written accounts, there remain many unknown details and events because the African society has always been one that favours oral tradition, rather than the written word. While some of the gaps may be filled in with detailed cave paintings, prehistoric tools and implements and the fossils that have been found throughout Africa, the mystery around the process of civilisation still exists quite prominently.
The earliest Homo sapien remains were found in Ethiopia, situated in West Africa in what is known as the Horn of Africa. This human being is thought to have lived on the earth 200 000 years ago. This dating is based on research and scientific testing. From the time of the establishment of the Egyptian civilisation, the written records follow the development of those groups that moved further out from the Nile and established their own societies, many of them nomadic.
Many other civilisations moved into the African territory in an attempt to expand their own territories. The Phoenicians began the empire of Carthage, which included the coastal section of Tunis. The exact records of this period were destroyed by the Roman Empire, which conquered Carthage in the Punic Wars. These three wars extended between 264 and 146 BCE. Once the Romans had Carthage under their control, they went on to conquer all of North Africa in the first century CE (Common Era). While the Romans initially worshiped pagan gods, it was during this time that Christianity began to spread through the Empire, presumably as a result of Jesus’ preaching and teaching work just prior to the first century. This religious ideal spread rapidly and extended right up to Ethiopia and Kush (the area that would now include Sudan).
The next wave came in the seventh century, when Islam spread throughout North and East Africa. This bore major consequences for the development of the civilisations in those areas. New cultures sprung from religion, as they often do. These included the Swahilis in the east and the Songhai in the west. As Islam became more popular, so the Arab slave trade escalated until it peaked in the 1800’s. This forced African slaves to be sent to North and South America, taking their cultures and religions with them.
In 1951, Libya became the first colony to gain its independence. Since then, most of remaining Africa has followed suit. The revolutionary attitude of modern Africa has led to much controversy and hardship, but is necessary for the current civilisation to develop into a viable, productive continent.
Archaeological Findings
The first Homo sapiens (human being) was originally found in Ethiopia, situated in the Horn of Africa, and is believed to have lived on the earth some 200 000 years ago. Other hominids and their earliest ancestors were also discovered in Africa and have been dated to as far back as 7 million years. These include Australopithecus Aricanus, H. Ergaster, Sahelanthropus Tchadensis, A. Afarensis, Homo Erectus and Homo Habilis.For a long time, Africa was known as the “Dark Continent”; a place of inactivity and dormancy. Historians and explorers regarded it with trepidation and perceived it as a mysterious land of magic and curses. This prevented widespread exploration for many decades, even centuries, leaving Africa relatively untouched.
This isolation and sense of historical mystery was partly due to the fact that the African inhabitants relied on word-of-mouth to communicate stories and legends to the young, rather than on more formal written means. This implied that there was little or no scientific evidence of any of the happenings being spoken of in these tales. It also meant that stories changed slightly as they were borne from one generation to the next, each adding their own twist. Another reason that the history of Africa remains, at the very least, somewhat blurred is that, as a result of decades of slavery and the abuse of the African people, the details have been omitted and softened over the years to protect those inflicting such suffering on the locals. This did not allow for accurate records of the goings on, travels and discoveries of that period. Therefore, any history of this period is gleaned from unreliable records or from folktales and legends.
There are several locations scattered throughout Africa that are recognised for their rich historical and even pre-historical existence based on findings in these places. Tanzania is home to the Olduvai Gorge, one of the areas thought to be the first site of human beings from ancient times. This gorge is flanked by the ravine walls of the Great Rift Valley on the eastern side of Africa. It stretches through the Serengeti Plains for nearly 50 km. It is in the Olduvai Gorge that prehistoric tools and artefacts were discovered, along with fossils of ancient human beings and animals. British paleoanthropologist, Mary Leakey, even discovered footsteps that are believed to have belonged to the first Homo sapiens to have existed on earth.
Kenya is also recognised as The Cradle of Mankind as it is the site at which Dr Richard Leakey discovered the bones of human beings dating back to the beginning of mankind’s existence. These bones were found on Kenya’s Lake Turkana coastline, at Koobi Fora, now the territory of the nomadic tribe of Gabbra. Kariandusi and Ololgesailie are other sites that have become known for their historical and archaeological wealth. Many of the caves in Kenya are home to ancient rock paintings that bear evidence of a prehistoric civilisation in this area.
Kenya is also recognised as The Cradle of Mankind as it is the site at which Dr Richard Leakey discovered the bones of human beings dating back to the beginning of mankind’s existence. These bones were found on Kenya’s Lake Turkana coastline, at Koobi Fora, now the territory of the nomadic tribe of Gabbra. Kariandusi and Ololgesailie are other sites that have become known for their historical and archaeological wealth. Many of the caves in Kenya are home to ancient rock paintings that bear evidence of a prehistoric civilisation in this area.
South Africa is home to the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in Krugersdorp, near Johannesburg. This site includes Sterkfontein, Swratkrans, Kromdraai and Environs and stretches for 47 000 hectares, or over 180 square miles. This site was deemed to be a World Heritage Site due to its palaeo-anthropological significance. Some of the world’s most valuable information in terms of the origin of man has been discovered in this area. The site comprises an excess of 200 caves, 13 fossil sites and different stone tools and implements that are typical of those used by ancient human beings. The prehistoric animal remains include those of sabre-toothed felines, giant hyenas and short-necked giraffes.
Societies of Homo sapiens were not always considered to be civilizations because of their nomadic lifestyle and their lack of a structured language or written history. However, it is from these human beings that current civilisations exist. They formed the basis of the current population and, no doubt, shared the core values and emotions that human beings today experience. As these, our ancestors, congregated around water sources and plains that were rich in wildlife, they began to form communities of families. Cooperation and mutually beneficial relationships made transport and trade easier and better for the entire community. Their nomadic way of life also led to the development of civilisations, as each group of prehistoric men brought their own unique customs and traditions with them to new territories.
Being such an integral pillar of the current human society, it is no wonder that these predecessors and Africa’s status as The Cradle of Humanity intrigues scientists and explorers right up to our modern day.