1 102 A North Africa @ The Berber peoples of North Africa were mainly herders and traders, operating a route across the Sahara. From about the 9th century BC foreign traders established settlements in North Africa: the Phoenicians particularly at Carthage, and the Greeks in Cyrenaica. The Phoenicians introduced metalworking to North Africa. Carthage flourished until destroyed by Rome in 146 BC.
# Carthage and North Africa, Carthage
2 102 B Late Period Egypt @ In Egypt, political upheavals after 1100 BC, including a period under Nubian rule, promoted a backward looking interest in the cultural glories and traditions of Egypt's past, which is reflected in art and architecture. During the prosperous period after 671 BC Greek traders brought Egypt into the Mediterranean trading world and Egypt became a naval power.
# Late Egypt, Figure of pharaoh Taharka with Horus
3 102 X Early iron working @ Metalworking - mainly of iron but sometimes of copper - began in West Africa around 500 BC. Probably introduced from North Africa along the Sahara trade routes, the technology of iron working rapidly developed its own characteristic local features. The first iron producers of the area, the Nok culture, also made splendid life-size terracotta human heads.
# Early iron in sub-Saharan Africa, Nok terracotta head
4 102 C Kush and Meroe @ The Nubian kingdom of Kush was strongly influenced by neighbouring Egypt. At the Nubian capital of Napata royal burials were placed in pyramids, along with sacrificed chariot horses. Temples reflected Egyptian architectural styles. Around 600 BC the Nubian capital moved to Meroe, which commanded wide agricultural lands and a flourishing trade route to the south and east.
# Kush and Meroe, Meroe sculpture
5 102 E Greeks and Persians @ The Greeks established an influential trading entrepot in the Nile delta at Naucratis. Egypt fell to Persia before 500 BC, then to Alexander the Great. Alexander's successors, the Ptolemies, while introducing some Greek features to Egypt, also adopted many local customs. The last of the line was Cleopatra, who lost Egypt to the Romans.
