extensive influence West African cultures had on Medieval Eu
Sept 16, 2020 11:56:05 GMT -5
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Post by anansi on Sept 16, 2020 11:56:05 GMT -5
A new exhibition shows the unexpected and extensive influence West African cultures had on Medieval Europe.
A selection of excavated finds from Essouk-Tadmekka, including fragments of glazed ceramics (among which is an oil lamp), stone beads and semi-precious stones, Mali.
A selection of excavated finds from Essouk-Tadmekka, including fragments of glazed ceramics (among which is an oil lamp), stone beads and semi-precious stones, Mali
A selection of excavated finds from Essouk-Tadmekka, including fragments of glazed ceramics (among which is an oil lamp), stone beads and semi-precious stones, Mali.
. In 1324, the West African king Mansā Mūsā embarked on a pilgrimage from his empire of Mali to Mecca. His year-long Hajj journey is legendary for its sheer decadence and unapologetic display of wealth: accompanying his parade of 8,000 courtiers and 12,000 slaves were 100 camels, each laden with as much as 300 pounds of pure gold. When he passed through Cairo, Mūsā apparently gave local royal officials so much gold he depreciated its value in Egypt.
Mūsā’s renown is evident in the exquisite Catalan Atlas, a six-panel, 14th-century map detailing medieval trade and seafaring routes. A prominent portrait shows him wearing a golden crown and holding a golden orb; the accompanying caption reads, in part, “This king is the richest and most distinguished ruler of this whole region on account of the great quantity of gold that is found in his lands.”
Mūsā’s renown is evident in the exquisite Catalan Atlas, a six-panel, 14th-century map detailing medieval trade and seafaring routes. A prominent portrait shows him wearing a golden crown and holding a golden orb; the accompanying caption reads, in part, “This king is the richest and most distinguished ruler of this whole region on account of the great quantity of gold that is found in his lands.”
This small image is a trace of a vital pre-colonial narrative that’s largely been forgotten overtime—that medieval West Africa had a global reputation as a region of considerable wealth and played a significant role in shaping economies and cultural production overseas for centuries. This notion, according to Kathleen Bickford Berzock, Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Block Museum of Art, is “a revelation to people. That the medieval period is European history, or that Africa was isolated and disconnected from global economies and trends before European contact—those are really resilient but misguided ideas.”
Berzock has spent the last seven years organizing a monumental show highlighting West Africa’s medieval cultural past, specifically between the eighth and 16th centuries. Now open through July 21, Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture and Exchange Across Medieval Saharan Africa represents the first major museum exhibition of its kind, bringing together material remnants of this influential trade and medieval artworks from three continents. Many objects illustrate the high technical skills of African artisans, such as a cast bronze elephant from Nigeria and rare pieces of gold jewelry excavated from across the Sahara. The exhibition will later travel to Toronto’s Aga Khan Museum and the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C.
It’s an unfortunate and pervasive stereotype that the Sahara is an empty expanse, too harsh for life to thrive. Far from desolate, the world’s largest subtropical desert was rife with movement during the medieval era, with different ethnic groups communicating through the common tongue of Arabic. Camel caravans traveled great miles while carrying goods like glass, copper, brass, and pottery, enduring sandstorms and water shortages along the way. Merchants passed through busy trading centers like Gao and Tadmekka in Mali and Sijilmasa in Morocco; they also filled up boats that were sent along the Niger River.
Berzock has spent the last seven years organizing a monumental show highlighting West Africa’s medieval cultural past, specifically between the eighth and 16th centuries. Now open through July 21, Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture and Exchange Across Medieval Saharan Africa represents the first major museum exhibition of its kind, bringing together material remnants of this influential trade and medieval artworks from three continents. Many objects illustrate the high technical skills of African artisans, such as a cast bronze elephant from Nigeria and rare pieces of gold jewelry excavated from across the Sahara. The exhibition will later travel to Toronto’s Aga Khan Museum and the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C.
It’s an unfortunate and pervasive stereotype that the Sahara is an empty expanse, too harsh for life to thrive. Far from desolate, the world’s largest subtropical desert was rife with movement during the medieval era, with different ethnic groups communicating through the common tongue of Arabic. Camel caravans traveled great miles while carrying goods like glass, copper, brass, and pottery, enduring sandstorms and water shortages along the way. Merchants passed through busy trading centers like Gao and Tadmekka in Mali and Sijilmasa in Morocco; they also filled up boats that were sent along the Niger River.
These trans-Saharan routes were largely driven by the value of pure gold from deposits in the historic region of Western Sudan—encompassing the empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. With demand for the precious material coming from distant lands, these complex crisscrosses fueled a global economy. They reached as far as the Mediterranean Sea and Levantine routes, ultimately connecting with the ancient Silk Road. On return routes to Africa, goods like cowrie shells moved south from the Indian Ocean and glass beads came from the Mediterranean. One rare artifact on display that exemplifies the scope of this network is a small, celadon-glazed porcelain fragment. Found in Tadmekka, it was originally part of a Song Dynasty bowl produced in the southeastern Chinese province of Jiangxi.
A selection of excavated finds from Essouk-Tadmekka, including fragments of glazed ceramics (among which is an oil lamp), stone beads and semi-precious stones, Mali
As the exhibition’s title suggests, many of the objects in it are fragments. Much of the archaeological record from this period has unfortunately not survived time. Pieces of decorative glazed ceramics attest to the thriving commerce of ancient towns; a fragment of a 15th-century woven blanket from Mali—among the oldest surviving textiles from West Africa—speaks to the origins of contemporary African weaving patterns.
“I was reading archaeological records from these African sites and realized that in them is a record of globalism,” Berzock said. “You start realizing they excavated a fragment of porcelain from China, glassware from Syria and Egypt, and terracotta from all over this expansive interregional network. So that’s when I started putting together this bigger narrative.”
“I was reading archaeological records from these African sites and realized that in them is a record of globalism,” Berzock said. “You start realizing they excavated a fragment of porcelain from China, glassware from Syria and Egypt, and terracotta from all over this expansive interregional network. So that’s when I started putting together this bigger narrative.”