The growth of Bantu tribal civilizations was a turning point in their history. The establishment of their cities and empires started after the Bantu migrations ended. The Bantu peoples were comprised of many tribes that had similar aspects of life. They included their agricultural system and their social hierarchy. Their agricultural system was collective.
The Bantus’ technological developments and trade relations spurred the rise of their civilizations, and the European conquests of Bantu city-states caused their downfalls. Their growth and decline over time exemplified how technology, trade, and foreign conquests were important to the rise and fall of most civilizations throughout history. The technologies that the Bantu peoples created improved their lives, and their development of these tools marked the beginning of an era in much of Central and Southern Africa.
The growth of Bantu civilizations was catalyzed by “rudimentary iron technology”, as stated by Roland Oliver in Journal of the Royal Society of the Arts (Oliver 859). Their weaponry allowed them to farm more efficiently, which resulted in the stabilization of their city-states. If these people groups did not have iron technology to farm with, less food would have been readily available. Migration or the decline of their tribal populations could have occurred if weapons were not used in agriculture.
More importantly, their development of iron technologies enabled the Bantu peoples to obtain natural resources that were traded.. Their tools were used to mine ores that were traded in its natural state and create goods that were traded regionally and globally. These civilizations traded globally by traveling on ships in the Indian Ocean. Their connections with empires in the Middle East and Asia spurred the economic growth of Bantu city-states and kingdoms. The relationship between the Bantus’ development of technologies and their civilizations’ prosperity illuminated how technologies helped civilizations advance over time. The Bantus’ economic relationships were the most important factor in ensuring the rise of their civilizations. Their trading networks in much of central Africa and in the Indian Ocean served as streams of wealth for their cities and kingdoms. Merchants and seafarers from the Bantu city-states on the central southeastern coast of Africa conducted naval trade with other empires with coastlines by the Indian Ocean.
According to the African Archaeology Review, societal and economic growth in Bantu tribes occurred due to influence from early Islamic empires (Blench 282-284). The peoples of early Islamic caliphates viewed trade as an important means of growing Islam, so their merchants sailed throughout the Indian Ocean to obtain religious hegemony over other civilizations. Islamic officials from these empires arrived on Swahili settlements on the southeastern coast of Africa to fulfill this dream. The Arab missionaries’ attempts of proselytization resulted in cultural diffusion. Through Arab influence, these peoples adopted the idea that trade was important. Their increased emphasis on trade with others resulted in the development of wealthy, inter-connected Bantu city-states. The wealth that these city-states obtained from trade illustrated how it contributed to the rise of Bantu city-states. Moreover, the relationship between the prosperity of Bantu and Arab civilizations and trade showed how economics influenced the growth of empires historically.
Bantu civilizations fell during the Age of Exploration and the Europeans’ colonialism of most of Africa. Their descents in these two eras were both caused by European conquests. The Bantus’ power over sub-Saharan Africa waned when Europeans conquered civilizations such as Mutapa and Kilwa. The Encyclopaedia Britannica stated that “Matapa’s realm was conquered by the Portuguese”, which marked the end of this kingdom (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, britannica.com).
Mutapa exemplified the traits of a complex Bantu empire that collapsed due to Portuguese hegemony in Africa. The fallen Bantu cities and empires that declined under the Portuguese were rich in money and resources. The remaining Bantu city-states continued to be independent for a few centuries, although Europeans exerted their power. European colonialism in the 19th century led the downfalls of their remaining tribal settlements.
The downfalls of Bantu tribes illustrated how foreign conquests caused the declines of many civilizations historically, as these civilizations fell after Europeans conquered them. The Bantus’ technological developments, trade relations, and decline mirrored the aspects of the rises and falls of many civilizations historically. Technological developments helped city-states expand because they enhanced their abilities to obtain natural resources, fight, and create goods. Trade helped civilizations grow by increasing their wealth and encouraging cultural diffusion. The Bantus’ technological and economic evolution resulted in their widespread cultural and economic growth. Their downfalls reflected how foreign conquests caused the declines of many civilizations. The similarities that the Bantu city-states shared with other civilizations illuminated how they rose and declined.
