Egypt is one of the renowned ancient historical states across the entire globe. It is often regarded as a “gift of the Nile” since the predictable floods along river Nile dumped new fertile soil that boosted farming. The governing kingdoms emerged between 4000 and 3300 BC due to the availability of surplus food. Just like many other agricultural societies, the Egyptians and the neighboring Nubia established highly organized social classes and patriarchy. The state also had a dynamic trade network system covering a broad region. The writing framework was also developed in Egypt, as well as the strong religious systems. In the sub-Saharan part of Africa, another group of people was engaged in migration process that directly influenced the surrounding population. This group primarily encompassed the Bantus in 3000 B.C.E. They spread east and south into the forest lands. They brought new trade goods and foods. The discovery of iron for weapons and cultivation tools in 1000 B.C.E. gave Bantus a stronger position within sub-Saharan Africa.
The writings on Early African Societies and Bantu Migrations that were borrowed from Mesopotamians appeared around 3200 B.C. in Egypt. It was clearly written on the papyrus sheets and also carved into the hieroglyphs and monuments. The Egyptians eventually adopted Greek alphabetical order. Just like the early Egyptian writings, the Nubian writing adopted a hieroglyph structure. The Nubian scribes eventually came up with their own alphabetic script.
With regards to religion, the Egyptians were categorized as being polytheistic even though some of the deities including Amon, the sun gods, and Re were extremely significant. The Osiris’s cult was closely associated with the annual flooding of River Nile, as well as the crop cycle involving seed generation, replanting, and harvest. The massive temple facilities supported the act of worshiping explicit gods. A short-term monotheism period occurred in the course of Akhenaten’s reign in 1473 B.C. This was later repressed by the pharaohs through the close guidance of priesthood. During this period, mummification existed as a process for helping the Egyptians to transform into immortality. It was initially accessible to the pharaohs, but courtesy of the New Kingdom, the entire practice was obtained by a few wealthy families. On the other hand, the Nubians were worshipping multiple deities but finally adopted some Egyptian gods.
The Bantus are alleged to have entirely migrated into various sub-Saharan African regions and subsequently established themselves as fully fledged agricultural communities. The migration of Bantu-speaking communities was very dynamic. The earliest Bantu speakers settled around 4000 BC alongside the rivers. They primarily engaged in the cultivation of oil palms and yams. They began spreading across Africa by 1000 BC due to the growing population and their ability to use canoes. The Bantus entirely inhabited most regions towards the south of the equator. Their ultimate movement was not based on mass migrations but was rather based on intermittent and incremental spurts. The aspect of iron metallurgy enhanced their rates of migration after 1000 BC since the Bantu-speaking people had coped up with an advanced technology of clearing forests and preparation of soil, particularly for agricultural purposes. Currently, Bantu language has been disintegrated into around five hundred varied languages, with each language representing a diverse ethnic group.
Alongside the aspect of language, the agricultural methodologies adopted by Bantus ultimately spread into the entire sub-Saharan Africa, thereby bringing in domesticated animals and new crops to the broad African regions. Most Bantus subsisted in the agricultural communities comprising of several individuals under the leadership of chiefs. This society also consisted of age sets and age groups who indulged in the act of wielding a considerable military and political power. They used to believe in a God as a creator but mainly worshiped the local spirits and their ancestors. It was deemed necessary to ensure these deities were happy so as to avoid any looming disaster. The Bantus’ beliefs were somehow flexible therefore making it easy for incorporation of many other religious components.
The migration pattern adopted by Bantus resembles that of Indo-European expansion in the course of its steady spread of language and culture as they settled into other regions. The two societies proved to be highly dependent on various agricultural efforts aimed towards supporting the growing populations. The unification process in Egypt gave room for a single authority to enhance greater control over the region’s agricultural policies and guidelines. The elaborate bureaucracy unveiled by the New Kingdom encompassed separate departments for dealing with the prevailing agricultural affairs. In Mesopotamia, Sumer subsequently developed into a city-state so as to protect their agricultural lands. On the other hand, the Old Kingdom focused on the unification process though it severally invaded the Nubians who had settled on the Upper Nile. In line with this, the Middle Kingdom extended diplomacy and trade with other distant cultures such as Syria, but the New Kingdom went to the extent of conquering parts of eastern Mediterranean to become an imperial power.
From all these analysis and preview, Egypt can be regarded as one of the most tolerant and vibrant society. It is a society that allowed for intermarriage with the foreigners. It can also be apparently asserted Egyptians accorded their foreign mercenaries a lifestyle that was similar to their own citizens. With regards to Bantus’ migration, their main origin is in the southwestern region of Lake Chad. They migrated east towards Lake Victoria, and some went southward alongside the East and West African coasts.
