Trans-Saharan slave trade
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During the Trans-Saharan slave trade, slaves from West Africa were transported across the Sahara desert to North Africa to be sold to Mediterranean and Middle eastern civilizations. It is part of the Trans-Saharan trade. Early records of trans-Saharan slave trade come from ancient Greek historian Herodotus in the 5th century BC.[1][2]
Early trans-Saharan slave trade
The Garamentes were the first recorded to engaged in the trans-Saharan slave trade. The Garamentes relied heavily on labour from sub-Saharan Africa, in the shape of slaves[3], they used slaves in their own communities to construct and maintain underground irrigation systems known to Berbers as foggara.[4] Ancient Greek historian Herodotus recorded that the Garementes enslaved cave-dwelling Ethiopians Troglodytae.
In the early Roman Empire, the city of Lepcis established a slave market to buy and sell slaves from the African interior.[5] The empire imposed customs tax on the trade of slaves.[5] In 5th century AD, Roman Carthage was trading in black slaves brought across the Sahara.[6] Black slaves seem to have been valued in the Mediterranean as household slaves for their exotic appearance.[6] Some historians argue that the scale of slave trade in this period may have been higher than medieval times due to high demand of slaves in the Roman Empire.[6]
Trans-Saharan slave trade in the Medieval period
During the medieval period, regular trade routes began to develop in the 7th and 8th centuries.[7] Slaves were transported from across the Sahara were mainly used by wealthy families as domestic servants, and concubines. Some served in the military forces of Egypt and Morocco.[8][9]
See also
References
- ^ Keith R. Bradley. "Apuleius and the sub-Saharan slave trade". Apuleius and Antonine Rome: Historical Essays. p. 177.
- ^ Andrew Wilson. "Saharan Exports to the Roman World". Trade in the Ancient Sahara and Beyond. Cambridge University Press. p. 192–3.
- ^ "Fall of Gaddafi opens a new era for the Sahara's lost civilisation". the Guardian. 2011-11-05. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
- ^ David Mattingly. "The Garamantes and the Origins of Saharan Trade". Trade in the Ancient Sahara and Beyond. Cambridge University Press. p. 27–28.
- ^ a b Keith R. Bradley. "Apuleius and the sub-Saharan slave trade". Apuleius and Antonine Rome: Historical Essays. p. 177.
- ^ a b c Andrew Wilson. "Saharan Exports to the Roman World". Trade in the Ancient Sahara and Beyond. Cambridge University Press. p. 192–3.
- ^ Masonen, Pekka (1997). "Trans-Saharan Trade and the West African Discovery of the Mediterranean World". In Sabour, M'hammad; Vikør, Knut S. (eds.). Ethnic Encounter and Culture Change. Bergen. pp. 116–142. ISBN 1-85065-311-9.
{{cite book}}:|archive-url=requires|url=(help); External link in|chapterurl=|chapterurl=ignored (|chapter-url=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Ralph A. Austen. Trans-Saharan Africa in World History. Oxford University Press. p. 31.
- ^ "Ibn Battuta's Trip: Part Twelve – Journey to West Africa (1351–1353)". Archived from the original on June 9, 2010.