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African salt and gold trade

African salt and gold trade

800 BCE, Carthage became one terminus for West African gold, ivory, and slaves . West Africa received salt, cloth, beads, and metal goods. Shillington proceeds  6 Mar 2019 The most common exchange was salt for gold dust that came from the mines of southern West Africa. Indeed, salt was such a precious commodity  Although local supply of salt was sufficient in sub-Saharan Africa, the consumption of Saharan salt was promoted for trade purposes. In the eighth and ninth  Camel caravans from North Africa carried bars of salt as well as cloth, tobacco, and metal tools across the Sahara to trading centers like Djenne and Timbuktu on  28 Apr 2019 This means that areas producing salt had a valuable trade item, one that they could exchange for gold. In Medieval West Africa, salt led to the  In this lesson, we'll see why both gold and salt were crucial trade goods in Africa. Trade in Ancient Africa. Picture the great Sahara Desert of North Africa in your 

Ancient West African gold trade routes. In the ancient empire of Mali, the most important industry for trading was the gold industry. Since salt was very abundant in the North of Mali, but they did not have much themselves, they would have to 

The West Africans exchanged their local products like gold, ivory, salt and cloth, for North African goods such as horses, books, swords and chain mail. At its peak, Ghana was chiefly bartering gold, ivory, and slaves for salt from Arabs and horses, cloth, swords, and books from North Africans and Europeans. Map of the Competition from other states in the gold trade eventually took its toll. The Kingdom of Ghana was a medieval African civilization located in what is now Mauritania and western Mali. The empire's access to gold allowed it to trade for 

A succession of great African empires rose off the back of the gold trade as salt, ivory, and slaves were just some of the commodities exchanged for the precious metal that eventually found its way into most of southern Europe’s gold coinage. Gold attracted unwanted attention and competition, too, with the Portuguese the first to exploit West Africa’s coastal resources from the 15th century CE, and in their wake followed others.

20 Feb 2007 and the later Mali kingdom, the route traded Mediterranean salt for bountiful African gold. Tichit grew up in the 12th century around this trade.

Ancient West African gold trade routes. In the ancient empire of Mali, the most important industry for trading was the gold industry. Since salt was very abundant in the North of Mali, but they did not have much themselves, they would have to 

20 Feb 2007 and the later Mali kingdom, the route traded Mediterranean salt for bountiful African gold. Tichit grew up in the 12th century around this trade. One of the main trading commodities sent back and forth was salt, one of the basic and Mythology: The Early Trans-Saharan Gold Trade” Journal of African.

Salt Trade Exchange of salt for commodities such as gold and slaves, particularly in West Africa. Source: Encyclopedia of Africa. Author(s): 

Because the Akan lived in the forests of West Africa, they had few natural resources for salt and always needed to trade for it. Gold, however, was much easier to come by. Every Akan knew how to find tiny grains of gold sparkling in the river beds after a rainfall. Caravans of camel riding merchants from North Africa crossed the Sahara beginning in the seventh century of the Common Era. Traders exchanged gold for something the West Africans prized even more: salt. Salt was used as a flavoring, a food preservative, and as today, a means of retaining body moisture. From the seventh to the eleventh century, trans-Saharan trade linked the Mediterranean economies that demanded gold—and could supply salt—to the sub-Saharan economies, where gold was abundant. Although local supply of salt was sufficient in sub-Saharan Africa, the consumption of Saharan salt was promoted for trade purposes.

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