Kingdoms of Ancient and Medieval West Africa & Trade across the Sahara

The Gold Road Project

The Gold Road Interactive Map highlights the people, places, and items related to the medieval Sudanic empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai. Gold, the region’s most valuable resource, moved along regional and trans-Saharan routes reaching as far north as France.

Lessons

Making Freedom is a digital curriculum developed by Primary Source which provides content spanning over 400 years of African American history, with inspiring and engaging multi-dimensional lessons and teaching strategies. It features 5 extensive open-source lessons that utilize The Gold Road, designed for grades 6-12. Access them here.

• • Why The Gold Road?
  • Why there? Historical Geographies of West Africa.
  • A Story of Great Cities
  • West African Objects and Artifacts
  • Memory and Knowledge: The Story of Sundiata Keita
• Google Earth Lesson: The Geography of West Africa: Geo Spatial Inquiries through a Historical Lens How did geography support the development and success of complex societies in West Africa? The goal of this resource is to provide an experiential understanding of the geographical and environmental features of West Africa as a support for understanding the ways ancient and medieval societies have thrived in this area for thousands of years. The Google Earth presentation models the kinds of questions that can be asked about the geography of West Africa while building curiosity and generating inquiry. 
• Ancient West Africa: An introduction by Monique van Gigch