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It is challenging to reconstruct much of early African history, especially outside of advanced ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians. Many of the tribes that inhabited the land for centuries or millennia relied on oral tradition to relate their history, abandoning them over time due to erosion of customs or interventions from outside powers such as the Europeans. As such, it has been a challenge for scholars to formulate an accurate and comprehensive representation of the region’s history. However, with the aid of evolutionary theory and linguistics, they have been able to make substantial progress.
A number of potential sources of information can help illustrate and explain African history when evaluated appropriately and combined for analysis purposes. They include items such as traditions, written sources, genetics, linguistics, plant life, and various archeological discoveries on the sites of former habitation. Additionally, evolutionary theory and anthropology have been applied to past and modern African societies to obtain insights into the social structures of the past. Through a combination of historical sources and modern science, it is possible to estimate significant events and people’s overall ways of life in Africa’s history.
Traditions and written sources are the most convenient sources of information for historians, as they provide often-trustworthy accounts of events and practices. Per Lamphear and Falola, “Arabic and European written sources have enabled historians to reconstruct the past of some parts of Africa from the eighth century A.D.” (p. 74). Paleontology is also of substantial value, as it demonstrates the ways of life of people whose settlements and tools have been unearthed. Genetics and linguistics can help illustrate the movement of ethnicities throughout the continent over time, with which botany can also help. Combined with evolutionary theory and anthropology, an overall image of the region’s history and development can be obtained.
Africa is generally considered the origin of humanity, and evolutionary theory is the foundation upon which this assertion is based. The first bipedal hominids were found in East Africa and proceeded to spread out through the continent over time. They also evolved, eventually becoming the Homo erectus and increasing the average brain size twofold. The associated increase in mental capacity has enabled humanity to spread to other continents while also advancing technologically and socially, eventually becoming the modern form, Homo sapiens.
Linguistics has helped evaluate the more recent development of history through two of its subdisciplines: lexicostatistics and glottochronology. The former is the study of similarities between two languages to determine their relationship, and glottochronology is concerned with the chronological links between languages. Using the two, it is possible to understand which ethnic groups’ languages are descended from what other societies’. Based on the findings, it is also possible to infer links between the groups that use the languages, creating a pattern of relationships.
Compared to better-studied regions with enduring stable civilizations, such as Europe, African history is substantially less clear. However, with developments in historical sciences, it is possible to fill the gaps at least partially. Evolutionary theory can help explain the very early history of humanity in Africa and its spread into other areas of the world. Linguistics, on the other hand, can help illustrate social and ethnic links that may not be apparent otherwise. These insights can help formulate a representation of African history based on the evolution of humanity and relationships between civilizations and supplemented by more detailed and traditional sources.
References
Lamphear, John, and Toyin Falola. “Aspects of Early African History.” Africa, edited by Phyllis P. Martin and Patrick O’Meara, 3rd ed., Indiana University Press, 1995, pp. 73-96.
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