Historic Accomplishments

Africans in Roman London (48AD – 410AD): what DNA tests of 22 Londoners found

There have often been wrong assumptions regarding ancient relationships between Africans and the rest of the world, particularly Europe. For example; people wrongly assume that it was Europeans that travelled to Africa, first, or that the age of discovery between the early 15th century and 17th century was the first point of contact between Africans […]

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John Edmonstone, African Taxidermist, Tutor to Charles Darwin; did their friendship convince Darwin of monogenism?

We all know Charles Darwin, his contribution to humanity will never be forgotten; his theory of human evolution is taught in schools the world over. But very often in the tale of his accomplishments, an important character is easily left out without whom perhaps Charles Darwin might not have become whom he was. His name

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African skin tones

Whenever someone says Africa, the first thought on the minds of most people is a mental image of dark-skinned people. Well here is a shocker, there are many different completely natural African skin tones ranging from very dark to very light, from the Dinka of South Sudan to the San of South Africa respectively. Different

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Africa’s Cities

Africa is the second largest continent of the earth’s seven continents and the second most populous continent. Africa has within it many countries with diversity, uniqueness, and culture. It is a continent with lot of resources, different sectors and various kinds of environments. With about 30 million square kilometers, Africa covers about 6% of the

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Yakut Khan: the Indian Admiral of African ancestry, story of the 1690 CE defeat of the East India Company

Yakut Khan, whose real name was Siddi Qasim Khan and also known as Sidi Yaqub, was an Indian of the Siddi ethnicity (also referred to Sheedi or Habshi)[1]. The Siddi ethnic group is a social grouping for the identifiable descendants of East Africans that migrated to India during the second millennium of our era. They

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The Garamantes: The Civilisation that mined Fossil Water from the Sahara for 1,000 Years

700 miles south from the Mediterranean coast, there, stretches a sub-beaten arid African desert, with temperatures that can rise up to 55 ºC in the summer, an average annual rainfall that is less than half an inch, and sometimes even it doesn’t see rain for years. One would never imagine that a lost 3,000-year-old-African civilization

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Alessandro De Medici, Duke of Florence, Sponsor of Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello and Galileo

The history and accounts of the Renaissance is remembered by the public as a purely European phenomenon that was centered on a largely homogeneous ethnicity. At the same time, it reduced the presence of people of African descents to the role of servants or slaves. Neither of these two theories was true, for they both

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The Zulu Kingdom

The Zulu kingdom of the 19th Century was ruled by a monarchy and extended along the coast of the Indian Ocean from the Tugela River in the south to Pongola River in the north. It had an estimated population of 250,000. It covered 30,000 square kilometres (11,500 square miles). Its main currency was cattle. The

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African Rulers in Indian History: Janjira, Maharashtra, India (1622-Present)

The princely state of Janjira fluttered its red flag with the crescent moon until India won independence in 1947 and merged all the princely states with the union by the following year. The state of Janjira is noted as being among the smallest of the princely States in Menon’s “The Story of Integration of Indian Princely States.” However, compared

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Memnon: the African warrior who made Achilles bleed; what the film Troy left out

The role Africans played in ancient mythologies has been largely downplayed or misrepresented by many historians and film makers. One such character is Memnon, king of ancient Aethiopia, a king from somewhere in Africa. Many of you might be surprised to know he featured prominently and contributed in no small measure to the legendary Trojan

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(Architecture Series) Fasil Ghebbi: the 20-palace complex of 17th Century Ethiopia

BEFORE THE FASIL GHEBBI Up until the 17th century, notably between the 13th and 17th century, Ethiopian emperors did not have any permanent location or structure within their territory in which they resided. They were always on the move with their royal camps referred to as “Katama[1]” Living off the proceeds of their subjects where

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Queen Hatshepsut: African Proof that a Woman Can Rule the Most Powerful Nation on Earth, Competently

Granite statue of Queen Hatshepsut It is common knowledge that Pharaohs of ancient Egypt excelled in building incredible monuments and temples both for the gods they worshipped and for themselves as a display of power and to ensure that they would be remembered forever throughout the Egyptian Pharaonic Empire. Today, tourists from all parts of

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Kingdom of Numidia (202BC – 46BC)

What kingdoms existed in Africa before the Scramble for Africa of the late 19th century and its well known recent period of colonisation by Europe? We look at the Kingdom of Numidia (202 BC – 46BC). Numidia were crucial in the crushing defeat of Rome during the Battle of Cannae that wiped out the ruling class of Rome and their betrayal of Carthage to back Rome contributed to the downfall of the Carthaginian republic during the 3rd Punic War.

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African Genes in Scottish DNA Study

Map of medieval Scotland The history that was taught at school says that Scots were originally Irish and Celtic people who migrated to Scotland and that Europe in general was the ancestral home of white people. Many people including Scots themselves have a long-held belief that the ethnic make-up of Scotland is strictly Scots, Irish,

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Eratosthenes: African and First Man To Measure The Circumference of Earth

More than 2000 years ago, a time when not even a calculator existed, let alone other technical devices that facilitate the research process, Eratosthenes calculated the spherical size of the Earth. He calculated it with considerable accuracy, obviously without the use of modern equipment but only by comparing the position of the Sun’s rays in

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Esteban: the African guide in 1539 AD of Spanish explorers entering North America (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Northern Mexico)

Esteban was also known as Estabanico, Estavanico, Esteban De Dorantes, Esteban the Moor, Mustapha Azemouri, Black Stephen and Stephen the Moor. These were the many names by which this man, an African, was known. His achievements in the 16th century largely remain undervalued due to his status as a slave. He was among the only

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The Maravi Confederacy

Maravi was a kingdom, situated in the present-day outskirts of Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia, in the sixteenth century. The present-day name “Maláŵi” is said come from the Chichewa word “malaŵí”, which signifies “flames”. “Maravi”, thus, is a general name of the people groups of Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and the eastern Zimbabwe. What did their unspoilt

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