A Scholarly Archive
The Origin of Civilization
Begins in Africa.
Explore Africa and the Origin of Man · Ethiopia and the Origin of Civilization · Egypt and the Evolution of Civilization · The Empire of the Moors · The Golden Age of West Africa · Kingdoms of the Interior and South Africa
The Great Topics
Six pillars of African civilization — each a world unto itself.
Civilizations Through Time
From the first humans to the great empires — a journey through African time.
3.2M BCE
Lucy discovered in Ethiopia
3100 BCE
Unification of Egypt
2560 BCE
Great Pyramid built
1000 BCE
Kingdom of Kush rises
300 BCE
Aksum Empire founded
700 CE
Ghana Empire peaks
1235 CE
Mali Empire founded
1312 CE
Mansa Musa crowned
1464 CE
Songhai Empire rises
711 CE
Moors enter Europe
Leaders of Africa
Kings, queens, warriors, and scholars who shaped the course of history.
c. 1280 – 1337 CE
Mansa Musa
Emperor of the Mali Empire
The wealthiest person in recorded history, whose legendary pilgrimage to Mecca reshaped the medieval world's understanding of African power and prosperity.
69 – 30 BCE
Cleopatra VII
Pharaoh of Egypt
The last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt — a polyglot scholar, diplomat, and sovereign of extraordinary political acumen.
c. 1217 – 1255 CE
Sundiata Keita
Founder of the Mali Empire
The Lion King of Mali — a warrior-king whose triumph at the Battle of Kirina established one of history's greatest empires.
Explore All Leaders
Discover hundreds of kings, queens, generals, and scholars across every era and region of Africa.
View All Leaders"Egypt is the mother of civilization. She gave the world its first great empire, its first written language, its first philosophy of the soul."— Cheikh Anta Diop, African Scholar & Historian