Full Width [alt+shift+f] Shortcuts [alt+shift+k]
Sign Up [alt+shift+s] Log In [alt+shift+l]
26
A bewildering variety of currencies circulated freely in the various states and societies of Africa during the pre-colonial period.
3 months ago

Improve your reading experience

Logged in users get linked directly to articles resulting in a better reading experience. Please login for free, it takes less than 1 minute.

More from African History Extra

Stone towns on the Highveld of South Africa: an archaeological history of the Sotho-Tswana capitals (ca. 1450-1850)

The eastern plateau of South Africa, known as the Highveld, is dotted with the ruins of numerous stone towns founded at the end of the Middle Ages.

3 months ago 26 votes
A forgotten African empire: the history of medieval Kānem (ca. 800-1472)

A century before Mansa Musa’s famous pilgrimage, the political and cultural landscape of medieval West Africa was dominated by the empire of Kānem.

3 months ago 40 votes
Online resources for African history: links to African collections held at 33 Western Museums

Up to 90% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s material cultural legacy is kept outside of the continent, according to a French government-commissioned 2018 report by Senegalese economist Felwine Sarr and French historian Bénédicte Savoy.

3 months ago 41 votes
What did they write about? : An intellectual history of Timbuktu ca. 1450-1900.

No single body of primary sources in the literary heritage of West Africa has attracted as much attention and attained as much celebrity as the fabled manuscripts of Timbuktu.

4 months ago 33 votes

More in history

The Islamic Ethics of the Wine Tax

The Islamic Ethics of the Wine Tax JamesHoare Tue, 08/05/2025 - 09:06

7 hours ago 2 votes
The Greek Hostage Who Wrote the Rise of Rome

The Talented Mr. Polybius

yesterday 3 votes
How Many Native Americans Were Killed During Colonization?

The Native American population reached around seven million before European contact. Estimates for all the Americans range up to or past 45 million. In North America, Native Americans are grouped into six tribes, numbering between three and seven million people. The Eastern Woodland groups, with their densely populated societies, such as the Iroquois, were […]

yesterday 3 votes
‘The Colonialist’ by William Kelleher Storey review

‘The Colonialist’ by William Kelleher Storey review JamesHoare Mon, 08/04/2025 - 09:08

yesterday 4 votes
What Is the Book of Daniel About?

The Book of Daniel contains some of the most iconic scenes from the Bible. Children’s Bibles often depict Daniel in the lion’s den, or his friends in the fiery furnace. Yet, there is much more to Daniel than fantastic stories to entertain children. It holds significant lessons about faith, God’s providence, and deliverance. It […]

yesterday 3 votes