Silent trade, or barter, is when traders (who do not speak each other’s language) trade without talking to each other. This was used in many parts of ancient Africa. Silent bartering was used during 500 A.D to 1500 A.D. and probably had a much longer history.
What was the purpose of the silent barter system of ancient Africa?
West Africa produced large amounts of gold until about 1500 AD. The communication in this gold-for-salt was carried out using drums. Silent trade might be used because of an inability to speak the other traders’ language, or to protect the secrets of where the valuable gold and salt came from.
Why was silent trade created?
Silent trade is often a response to difficulties in communication due to language barriers or to inequality of cultural advancement between neighbouring peoples.
How did the silent barter system work?
To do a silent barter, one group of traders would go to a certain place, leaving whatever they are offering to trade. The other group of traders would then decide if they would like to accept the goods (usually salt or gold) that were left.
What does a North African trader do during silent trade?
What did the North African’s do during the silent bartering? Spread their goods along the river, beat the drum to tell Wangaran I am making an offer & I leave.
Why did the North Africans and Wangarans barter trade silently?
Wangarans traded Gold silently because they wanted to keep it a secret. They wanted to keep the location of the gold mines a secret. They would rather give up their lives than reveal the secret. How did the King of Ghana protect his power?
What items did European traders trade for African slaves?
There they were exchanged for iron, guns, gunpowder, mirrors, knives, cloth, and beads brought by boat from Europe. When Europeans arrived along the West African coast, slavery already existed on the continent.
What was most commonly exchanged for salt?
Some items for which the salt was traded include gold, ivory, slaves, skins, kola nuts, pepper, and sugar.
What crops were harvested in West Africa?
In the Sahelian zone, millet and sorghum are the predominant crops, transitioning to maize, groundnuts, and cowpeas farther south in the Sudanian zone. These food crops are among the top five harvested crops in the Sahelian countries — Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad.
What made Taghaza an important location?
It was an important source of rock salt for West Africa up to the end of the 16th century when it was abandoned and replaced by the salt-pan at Taoudenni which lies 150 km (93 mi) to the southeast. Salt from the Taghaza mines formed an important part of the long distance trans-Saharan trade.
Is barter a system?
A barter system is an old method of exchange. Th is system has been used for centuries and long before money was invented. People exchanged services and goods for other services and goods in return. … In ancient times, this system involved people in the same area, however today bartering is global.
Why was West Africa Salt important?
Salt, which could be used to preserve food, also made bland food tasty. These qualities made salt very valuable. In fact, Africans sometimes cut up slabs of salt and used the pieces as money. As trade in gold and salt increased, Ghana’s rulers gained power.
What first brought Islam to West Africa?
Islam first came to West Africa as a slow and peaceful process, spread by Muslim traders and scholars. The early journeys across the Sahara were done in stages. Goods passed through chains of Muslim traders, purchased, finally, by local non-Muslims at the southern most end of the route.
How did Ghana become so powerful?
The king of Ghana spread his power through trade. Gold, ivory, and slaves were bartered for salt from the Arabs. … Ghana achieved much of its wealth by trading with the Arabs. Islamic merchants traveled over 2 months across the desert and were taxed by Ghana for anything they brought in or took out.
What were the two major trade goods that made Ghana rich?
The trade of salt and gold made the rulers of Ghana rich.
What is barter trade?
Barter, the direct exchange of goods or services—without an intervening medium of exchange or money—either according to established rates of exchange or by bargaining. … It is considered the oldest form of commerce.