HISTORY

Ancient Africa: A Global History, to 300 CE

by Christopher Ehret
Princeton Univ. Jun. 2023. 216p. ISBN 9780691244099. $27.95. HIST
COPY ISBN
Writing a book on the history of an entire continent requires a certain deftness in providing a holistic view of vastly different cultures and how those societies interacted with one another over time. Historian Ehret (UCLA; The Civilizations of Africa) does an admirable job of addressing African history from the close of the last Ice Age to the rise of kingdoms and empires in the first centuries of the common era. His book combines recent archaeological and linguistic research to show how pottery and ironworking were taught across the continent before the earliest evidence of similar technology elsewhere in the world. The author also identifies Africa’s influence on other parts of the world through agricultural exchange.
VERDICT Ehret provides a vital new perspective on Africa’s significant role in the ancient world. This is an essential book on early African history that uses several types of evidence to demonstrate how different groups in Africa impacted each other and eventually the world.
Reviewed by John Rodzvilla , May 01, 2023
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

NONFICTION

Bloody Tuesday: The Untold Story of the Struggle for Civil Rights in Tuscaloosa
by Giggie, John M
NONFICTION

The Book-Makers: A History of the Book in Eighteen Lives
by Smyth, Adam
NONFICTION

When Women Ran Fifth Ave: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion
by Satow, Julie
NONFICTION

Reds: The Tragedy of American Communism
by Isserman, Maurice
NONFICTION

The Light of Battle: Eisenhower, D-Day, and the Birth of the American Superpower
by Paradis, Michel
NONFICTION

The Wrong Stuff: How the Soviet Space Program Crashed and Burned
by Strausbaugh, John
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?