Social Systems (Egypt, Aksum, and Inland Niger

¶ … Social Systems (Egypt, Aksum, and Inland Niger Delta)

This paper makes comparisons between the early social systems of Egypt, Aksum, and the Inland Niger Delta.

Egypt

Society in early Egyptian history was more structured than either of the other two societies to be reviewed in this paper. Egyptian society was structured like a pyramid, according to U.S. History's pages on Ancient Civilizations. At the top of the pyramid the gods were placed; Isis, Ra, Osiris and other Egyptian gods were most revered and respected because Egyptians believed that gods had control of the universe. They could "make the Nile overflow, cause famine, or even bring death" (U.S. History). Leaders called "pharaohs" were also considered gods (in human form), and they had a huge amount of power to enact laws and lead the military, so they were high on the pyramid. In fact the pyramids in Egypt were built specifically to house pharaohs, who were worthy of god-like sanctity. Second on the pyramid were priests and government officials that had been appointed by pharaohs (also called "nobles").

Next in the pecking order were the Egyptian soldiers (who had responsibilities for leadership even in times of peace), followed by Scribes, Merchants, Artisans, and Farmers. Last on the list of the social structure were slaves and farmers (slaves were those captured as prisoners of war) and farmers tended fields, "…raised animals, kept canals and reservoirs in good order" (U.S. History).

Aksum

This is an Iron Age society that lived before and after the time of Christ in what is now Ethiopia. Although not as much is known about Aksum as is know of ancient Egypt, but Stuart Munro-Hay explains that they did leave "a legacy of written material" and those writings showed archeologists that Aksum exerted hegemony over "many peoples of northern Ethiopia" (Munro-Hay, 1991). In the first century BC "social elites" were gaining power because of the "elite architecture, elite tombs with monumental stele and royal thrones" (Hirst, 2011). And by the 6th century AD, a "stratified society was in place; there was an upper elite of kings and nobles, and a "lower elite with wealthy farmers" and lower status nobles, Hirst explains. Ordinary farmers, ordinary people and craftsmen were below those two categories on the social strata. The leader named Ezana ruled in the early 4th century, and is said for converting much of Ethiopia to Christianity (Hirst). Clearly Aksum differs from Egypt because leaders were not gods and Egyptians were not known to have converted to Christianity as the Aksum society did.

The Inland Niger Delta

An anthropology paper from Rice University explains that permanent settlement in the upper Niger Delta was impossible before the 3rd century BC because annual floodwaters made it impossible (McIntosh, et al., 2009). After 1000 B.C.E. herders and farmers raised rice, millet, and sorghum; trade must have been a major factor in helping the economy in Jenne-jeno as artisans were working with iron in 450 C.E., and there was no iron ore in the inland Niger Delta (McIntosh, p. 2). Unlike the writings left by early Egyptians and Aksum peoples, much of what archeologists know about the inland Niger Delta is from digs of archeological sites. There are no written records and in fact McIntosh writes that "…only a small part of the puzzle of the history of Jenne-jeno has been put together so far" (p. 3). The king of Jenne-jeno (Konboro) was converted to Islam around 1180 C.E., McIntosh writes, but not everyone converted. There was resistance to Islam, but why was Jenne-jeno a ghost town in 1400? Much is not known about the gradual abandonment of the city most identified with inland Niger Delta.