Internet African History Sourcebook
Editor: Paul Halsall
This page is a subset of texts derived from the three major online Sourcebooks listed below, along with added texts and web site indicators. For more contextual
information, for instance about Western imperialism, the Islamic world, or the history of
a given period, check out these web sites.
| Notes: |
In addition to direct links to documents, links are made to a
number of other web resources. |
2ND
|
Link to a secondary article, review or discussion on a given
topic. |
WEB
|
Link to a website focused on a specific issue.. These are not
links to every site on a given topic, but to sites of serious educational value. |
Contents
African History:
General
General
Debates
Note that these "debates" may have more to do with Modern United States
society than African history.
Black Athena Debate
Cheikh Anta Diop
Stolen Legacy
"Afrocentric" Websites
African Origins
Human Origins
Egypt
General
The Old Kingdom (2705-2213 BCE) [Dynasties 3-8]
The Middle Kingdom (1991-1668 BCE) [Dynasties 12-13]
- Hyskos Invasion, c.1750-1550 BCE
The New Kingdom (1570-1070 BCE) [Dynasties 18-20]
Akhnaten [Amenhotep IV](r. 1363-1347 BCE)
-
Akhnaten (r. 1363-1347 BCE): Hymn to Aten [At
Internet Archive, from Creighton]
- Akhnaten (r. 1363-1347 BCE): Hymn to
Aten [At Eliade]
Post Imperial Egypt (1070-332 BCE) [Dynasties 21-31]
Religion
-
WEB Egyptian Religion [Website-At Internet Archive, from Mankato]
-
2ND Two Approaches to an Egyptian Pantheon [At
Internet Archive, from UNT]
- Origin Myths
-
The Memphite Theology
- Isis and Osiris
- Death and Resurrection
- The
Dead Pharaoh Ascends to Heaven from Pyramid Texts (Ca. 2425-2300 B.C.) [At
Eliade]
Among the oldest Egyptian religious texts. At this stage survival is for the pharoah.
- The
Dead Pharaoh Becomes Osiris from Pyramid Texts [At Eliade]
- Osiris
- the Prototype of Every Soul Who Hopes to Conquer Death Coffin Texts, I, 197
[At Eliade]
The Coffin Texts from the interior of coffins, belong to the Middle Kingdom
(2250-1580 BCE) and indicate 'democratization' of the ancient funerary ritual - each soul
now hoped to achieve a ritual assimilation to the god. [At Eliade]
- Man's
Soul Identified with Osiris and Nature Coffin Texts 330 [At Eliade]
- Survival
as Ba, Survival in the Tomb are Complementary [At Eliade]
- The
Egyptian Land of Silence and Darkness [At Eliade]
- The Book of
Ani, or the Egyptian Book of the Dead [At Upenn][Full text in E. Wallis Budge's
translation.]
-
Hymn to Ra, from
the Book of Ani, [At this site]
- Judgement of the Dead Book of
the Dead, Chapter 25 [At WSU]
- The
Egyptian Negative Confession Book of the Dead, Chapter 125 [At Eliade]
-
Herodotus (c.490-c.425 BCE): Description of
Mummification [At UVA]
With a CT scan of a mummy.
- WEB Death in Ancient Egypt [At
ABZU]
Includes an illustrated guide to various topics, including Ba and Ka.
Art and Architecture
Literature
Music
Everyday Life
Mathematics
Gender and Sexuality
Modern Perspectives on Egypt
Other Ancient
African Societies
General
Nubia
Libya and Western North Africa/Mauretania
Nok Culture
Gambia
Greek and Roman Africa
General
- Accounts of Ancient Nubia
& Ethiopia, c. 430 BCE - 550 CE
From Herodotus, Strabo, Diodorus, the King of Axum, and Procopius of Caesarea.
- Accounts of Ancient
Mauretania, c. 430 BCE- 550 CE
From Herodotus, Strabo, and Procopius of Caesarea
-
The Periplus [At Internet Archive, from CCNY]
Written by a Greek resident of Alexandria in Egypt during the first century BCE, this text
is one of the oldest surviving accounts of the countries on Africa's east coast. A map
gives some idea of the size and scope of Africa and of the author's journey.
Greek Colonies
Ptolemaic Egypt (323-30 BCE)
Roman Africa
Byzantine Africa
- Procopius: The
Reconquest of Africa, 534, from On the Wars IV:9
A description of Belisarius' triumph, with Gelimer, King of the Vandal's in tow.
Ethiopia and
Christianity
General
Africa and Islam
General
Egypt
States
Culture
African Societies
General
West Africa
- WEB Saharan Trade: A Link Between Europe and
Africa
With maps of Ghana, Mali and Songhay.
- Gronniosaw, James Albert Ukawsaw: A
narrative of the most remarkable particulars in the life of James Albert Ukawsaw
Gronniosaw, an African prince, written by himself. [At Virginia], published Newport,
RI, 1774
- Ghana [A non-Muslim Kingdom, lasts until c. 1235 CE]
- Mali [A Muslim Empire, from c. 1235 CE. Declines 15th Cent.]
-
2ND The Legend of Sundiata [At Princeton Online]
-
MAP Map of Mansa Musa's Northern
Africa
From Bibliothèque Nationale de France.
Map of North Africa in which figures the Atlas Mountains, the king of Mali (Mansa Musa),
the king of Organa, the king of Nubia, the king of Bablyon, and the Red Sea. (BNF, ESP 30)
Atlas catalan, Spain, Majorca, c, 14th Century
- 2ND Richard Hooker: Mali [At WSU]
- Songhay [Exists from 11th Cent. Challenges Mali from c. 1400 CE.
Ends early 17th Cent.]
- 2ND Richard Hooker: Songhay [At WSU]
- Benin
- The Forest Kingdoms
Zimbabwe
- WEB Zimbabwe
Slide Show [At Maricopa]
A 23 image slide show on Great Zimbabwe with text.
-
Great
Zimbabwe [At Then Again]
- Great Zimbabwe
Ruins
Modern dating techniques indicate that the city was started around 1200 CE and occupied
for about four centuries. For decades western researchers tried to deny that it was built
by Africans. [It was!]
Bands and Segementary Societies
Cultures
Religion
- African High Gods [At Mircea Eliade Page]
- Creation Stories [At Mircea Eliade Page]
- Relations with the Divine [At Mircea Eliade Page]
- Religious Specialists [At Mircea Eliade Page]
The Impact of Slavery
General
The Slave Trade
Enslaved People
- Oladuah Equiano: The Life of
Gustavus Vassa
-
Oladuah Equiano: The Life of
Gustavus Vassa [At Internet Archive, from Northpark]
-
Oladuah Equiano: The
Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African,
London, 1789 [At Brycchan Carey]
- Oladuah Equiano: The Interesting
Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African, London, 1789
[At newsreel.com]
- WEB Excerpts from Slave Narratives [At
UHouston]
Edited by Steven Mintz. Includes accounts from enslavement to the end of slavery in the
US. All texts below are links to the Houston site]
-
A European slave trader, John Barbot,
describes the African slave trade (1682)
-
A Muslim merchant, Ayubah Suleiman Diallo,
recalls his capture and enslavement (1733)
-
Olaudah Equiano, an 11-year old Ibo from
Nigeria remembers his kidnapping into slavery (1789)
-
Venture Smith relates the story of his
kidnapping at the age of six (1798)
-
A European slave trader, James Bardot, Jr.,
describes a shipboard revolt by enslaved Africans (1700)
-
Olaudah Equiano describes the horrors of
the Middle Passage (1789)
-
A doctor, Alexander Falconbridge, describes
conditions on an English slaver (1788)
-
Olaudah Equiano describes his arrival in
the New World (1789)
-
An English physician, Alexander
Falconbridge, describes the treatment of newly arrived slaves in the West Indies (1788)
-
Olaudah Equiano describes West African
religious beliefs and practices (1789)
-
Charles Ball remembers a slave funeral,
which incorporated traditional African customs (1837)
-
Peter Randolph describes the religious
gathers slaves held outside of their master's supervision (1893)
-
Henry Bibb discusses
"conjuration" (1849)
The Ending of Slavery
European Imperialism
General
Analyses and Criticism of Imperialism
- John A. Hobson (1858-1940): Imperialism,
1902, excerpts
-
John A. Hobson (1858-1940): The
Economic Bases of Imperialism [At Marxists.org]
-
Vladimir Illyich Lenin (1870-1924): Imperialism and the Split in
Socialism, 1916 [At Marxists.org][Full Text]
-
Vladimir Illyich Lenin (1870-1924): Imperialism, The Highest Stage of
Capitalism, 1916 [At Marxists.org][Full Text]
- Edward Morel: The
Black Man's Burden, 1903, excerpts,[At this Site]
- Joseph Conrad: Heart
of Darkness, 1902, extracts [At WSU]
- Joseph A. Schumpeter: The Sociology of Imperialism, 1918 [At this Site]
-
George Orwell: Shooting an
Elephant [At George Orwell.org][Full Text]
- 2ND Gerald Remphal: The New
Imperialism [At Internet Archive, from WNEC]
Exploration/Missionary Activities
British Africa
Belgian Africa
French Africa
German Africa
South Africa
Liberia
The Fight for Independence
General
Algeria
Ghana
South Africa
Modern Africa
General
-
Syllabus: Ethnicity, Class
and Power in Twentieth-Century Africa [At Internet Archive, from H-Net]
- WEB Ancestors in Africa: [At University of
Kent]
Selected readings and Mambila case material prepared by David Zeitlyn as part of the
Experience Rich Anthropology Project
-
WEB Africa Speaks: West
African University Students Write About Their Lives
"The texts were written in 1990-92 at the University of Niamey, Niger Republic, in
classes taught by Patricia Stoll. They provide unique and authentic insights into the
lives of young Africans."
-
Robert D. Kaplan: The Coming
Anarchy February 1996, and Proportionalism August 1996, The Atlantic Monthly, [At The Atlantic, requires subscription]
Addresses Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, and the US response.
- WEB African
Lives [At Washington Post]
- Africa: Country Studies
Prepared for Library of Congress under the Country Studies/Area Handbook Program sponsored by the Department of the Army. These are full descriptions of the countries
concerned, in terms of history, geography, economy, etc. There are also useful
bibliographies. [At LOC]
International Organizations
Continuing Imperialism
Angola
-
Angola Constitution, 1992
[At Bern]
Algeria
-
The Islamic Salvation Front National Provisional Executive Bureau:
Communique
No. 42, Algiers, November 14 1993 [At Cornell]
Cameroons
-
WEB Mama for story
Texts from David Zeitlyn and Ian Fowler on Cameroons.
Congo [Brazzaville]
-
Congo (Brazzaville)
Constitution, 1992 [At Bern]
Congo [Zaire]
Egypt
Eritrea
-
Eritrea Constitution
(draft), 1996 [At Bern]
Ethiopia
Gambia
- WEB Nijii [Momodou Camara's Homepage]
Kenya
Liberia
-
Liberia: UN Report (excerpts) Security Council S/1996/47, 23 January 1996 Fifteenth Progress Report. [At
Africa Action]
Madagascar
Malawi
Mauritania
Morocco
-
Morocco Constitution, 1992
[At Bern]
Namibia
-
2ND Elizabeth Marshall Thomas: The Desert [At One
World]
-
2ND Elizabeth Marshall Thomas: The Birth [At One World]
-
Namibia Constitution, 1990 [At Bern]
Nigeria
Rwanda
-
Rwanda Constitution, 1991
[At Bern]
- Violence and
Unrest in Central Africa, The Atlantic Monthly, November 1996, [At The
Atlantic, subscription required]
- The Atlantic Report: Rwanda, The
Atlantic Monthly, June 1964, [At The Atlantic, subscription required]
- Stanley Meisler: Rwanda and Burundi, The Atlantic Monthly, September 1973, [At The Atlantic, subscription required]
South Africa
Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe
- Rhodesia: Unilateral
Declaration of Independence Documents, 1965 [At this Site]
- Prime Minister Ian Smith: Announcement of Unilateral Declaration of Independence,
November 11, 1965
- Prime Minister Harold Wilson: The Position of the British Government on the Unilateral
Declaration of Independenec by Rhodesia, Speech to Parliament, November 11,1965
- Soviet Government Statement: The Situation in Southern Rhodesia, November 15, 1965
Gender and Sexualities in Modern Africa
- Female Circumcision/Female Genital Mutilation
- Homosexuality
-
Edward Carpenter (1884-1929): Iolaus:
An Anthology of Friendship
-
South African Constitution [At Bern]
Section 9.(3) is the first constitutional guarantee of protection for LGBs in the world
-
Zimbabwe Anti-Gay Witchhunt 1996 [At Internet Archive, from Xmission.com]
- Eugene Patron: Heart of Lavender: In
Search of Gay Africa, from Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review, Fall 1995.
-
Electronic Mail and Guardian: Gay couple tie the knot,
Johannesburg, South Africa. September 9, 1997 [At Mail and Guardian]
- Molefi Asante: Interview
on Homosexuality, on THIS WAY OUT [At QRD]
Asante, a leading proponent of Afrocentrism, had long called homosexuality a western
deviation. He has now publically changed his mind, as more information about African
gender/sexuality has come to light.
-
Matthew Quest : Afrocentricity
vs. Homosexuality: The Isis Papers [At Spunk.org]
A critique of Frances Cress Welsing's The Isis Papers.
-
2ND Stephen O. Murray and Will Roskam: Boy Wives and Female Husbands:
Studies in African Homosexualities © 1998 [At Internet Archive, from Louie Crewe's Pages]
An early draft of the book manuscript due from St. Martins in October 1998
-
WEB Gay and Lesbian Archives
for South Africa [At University of Witwatersrand]
Further Resources on
African History
- WEB GUIDES
- AFRICA INFORMATION SOURCES
-
WEB African News Sources Online [At Kidon Media]
An extensive guide to African newspapers, radio stations, etc. online.
- TIMELINE Timeline [At Central Oregon CC]
Splendid multi part chronology, with links to texts, images, discussions. The best of the
timelines online.
-
TIMELINE WebChron: Africa [At Then Again]
Useful chronology.
-
WEB Africa on the Internet: Starting Points for Policy Information
- ACADEMIC PAGES
- OTHER AFRICAN STUDIES RESOURCES
-
WEB Clyde Winter's Page
Beyond "Afrocentrism"! Winter's posts article on the African origin of *every*
culture - China, Olmecs, Maya, Harrapa, etc.
- WEB Christine's
Genealogy Site
A really good site on African and African-American genealogy.
- WEB Mircea Eliade: From
Primitives to Zen [at enteract.com]
Complete texts of Eliade's religion anthology online.
Other Resources
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NOTES:
The Internet Africa History Sourcebook is part of the Internet History Sourcebooks Project. The date of inception was
1998. Links to files at other site are indicated by [At some indication of the site
name or location]. WEB indicates a link to one of small
number of high quality web sites which provide either more texts or an especially valuable
overview.
The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is located at the History Department of Fordham University, New York. The Internet
Medieval Sourcebook, and other medieval components of the project, are located at
the Fordham University Center
for Medieval Studies.The IHSP recognizes the contribution of Fordham University, the
Fordham University History Department, and the Fordham Center for Medieval Studies in
providing web space and server support for the project. The IHSP is a project independent of Fordham University. Although the IHSP seeks to follow all applicable copyright law, Fordham University is not
the institutional owner, and is not liable as the result of any legal action.
© Site Concept and Design: Paul Halsall created 26 Jan 1996: latest revision 12 March 2023 [CV]
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