North Africa is a country that includes the modern countries of Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, and Morocco. However, the geographical entity of North Africa has no accepted single definition and has been regarded by some as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Morocco in the west to the Suez Canal and the Red Sea in the east. This identification of the geographical entity is commonly known as Northern Africa. But the most commonly accepted definition involves the one which is used here and has the three countries that we have mentioned above. So, this is about the geographical identification of North Africa. Read on to know as we discuss more about the North African culture.
The Northern African Culture- Ancient Greeks:
The ancient Greeks played a significant role in putting North Africa on the world map. The ancient Greeks were the ones who used Libya. It’s basically derived from the name of a group called the Gulf of Sidra. This is used to describe the land which is situated in the north of the Sahara. It is the territory whose people were the subjects of Carthage. When the word Africa is concerned, it has been used by the Romans. It is the first province in the Northern part of Tunisia, along with the entire area of North of Sahara and also the entire continent.
For those of you who do not know much about North Africa, here is some fun trivia. The countries of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia have been widely known as the Atlas Lands. They are known for the Atlas mountains, which significantly dominated the northern landscapes, although each of the countries, especially Algeria, involves sizeable sections of the Sahara. Farther east in Libya, only the northwestern and northeastern parts of the country, which are called the Tripolitania and Cyrenaica respectively, are outside the desert. These are some of the geographical allocations of North Africa.
Read the next section of the article, as we talk about some of the rich history of North Africa and reveal some interesting facts.
The African Stone Age Society:
In this section of the article, we will be delineating some of the rich stone crafts and will be talking about the North African culture. So, keep reading to know more.
As we have told you about Libya being a significant part of North Africa. Let me tell you more about the spread of the early Neolithic culture, which emerged in the Maghrib and Libya in the 6th and 5th millennia BC. It is characterized by the domestication of animals and the shift from hunting and gathering to self-supporting food production (often still including hunting). The cattle was the chief animal used for pastoral economy, and it remained dominant in North Africa till the classical period. The transition technology also played a significant role apart from the independence of the local origin. This phenomenon is best explained by the gradual diffusion of new techniques apart from the immigration of new people.
The richness of the stone stage in the North African culture has been found in the rock carvings which are discovered in the Southern Foothills of the Atlas Mountains. It is situated in the South of Oran and in the Ahaggar and Tibesti ranges. However, there are some show animals that are now locally absent in North Africa and are totally extinct, too. Some of these animals are giant buffalo, elephants, rhinoceros, and hippopotamus, in areas now covered by desert.
Also, in the later Stone Age, the people of Africa hunted and gathered various plants and animals for eating along with seafood. Also, they lived quite ahead and produced many artifacts, including painted pictures of rock wall beads. They produced artifacts from natural materials such as wood, bark, and grass found at Gwisho hot springs in Zambia. This is the cultural richness of North Africa in the later Stone Age period.
North African Culture- Trade:
Trade relations in North Africa are pretty diverse. The trade culture spread in Carthage from ancient times, and sources say that it has perhaps become the richest city in the world through its trade. However, archaeologists have discovered few traces of its wealth. The trade culture includes the sale of perishable items, such as unworked metal stuff, textiles, slaves, and foodstuffs. Also, many other items are found in the trade culture of North Africa, including tin, silver, gold, and iron. Also, Carthage is famous for ruthlessly maintaining its trade monopoly since the 6th century and till the end of the 3rd century BC. They did this with the tactics of sinking the intruders’ vessels and exacting recognition of its position from the other states.
Trading contacts with the Greeks have been from the earliest period of Phoenician colonization. Other significant areas where the Greeks established trade relations include Ionia, Rhodes, Corinth, Athens, along with other Greek centers.
Culture:
When we talk about the inherent North African Culture. There is a significant lack of inspiration, which can be felt in their decorative arts. This includes jewelry, metalwork, terracotta, pottery, and thousands of carvings on stelae. There is a significant influence of Egyptian, Greek, and Phoenician artistic traditions, which can be found in North African culture. Also, folks, there is no evidence of Greek philosophy and literature making any significant impact. However, the culture of North Africa, when we look at it today, has developed a lot and will continue to do so with the emergence of technological advances. Urbanization has also significantly made a lot of impact on the lives of the people. The possibilities of urbanization were fully realized in the Roman period.
Conclusion:
The North African culture has been influenced by many sects of religion, such as Muslim, Romanian, and Berberian. Hence, the culture of North Africa is a mixture of many influences. Urbanization and technological advances have made it possible to discover the deep-buried secrets of North African culture. So, it can be said that the culture of North Africa is rich and diverse. These have significantly contributed to putting the country of Africa on the world map. That’s all, folks. I hope the article helped you in getting all the information you needed.
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