AA4426 From the Nile to the Niger: The Kingdoms of Ancient Africa

Academic year

2025 to 2026 Semester 2

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

30

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 10

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Planned timetable

TBC

This information is given as indicative. Timetable may change at short notice depending on room availability.

Module coordinator

Dr A C Kelley

Dr A C Kelley
This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module Staff

Dr Anna Kelley

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

Africa has often been depicted as a land without a history, of little consequence to the developments of world history. Nothing could be further from the truth. Its wealth in resources and perceived exoticness made it a source of constant fascination for ancient travellers and writers alike, and archaeology is increasingly filling in the gaps. This module will introduce students to the rich history of four of the important ancient kingdoms of Africa that, while not part of the classical Mediterranean world, were known to and interacted with the Greeks and Romans, to varying degrees: Kush (Nubia), Aksum, the Garamantes, and Ghana and West Africa (a period covering roughly c. 500 BCE to 400 CE). It will consider not only the relationships between these societies and the Greco-Roman world, but also the relationships they had with each other,. This module will invite students to explore the ancient world from a new perspective and reassess Africa’s vivid and important ancient past.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisites

AS STATED IN THE SCHOOL OF CLASSICS UNDERGRADUATE HANDBOOK

Assessment pattern

Coursework= 100%

Re-assessment

Examination= 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

1 x 2hr seminar (X11 weeks)

Scheduled learning hours

22

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

278

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.

Intended learning outcomes

  • Describe key elements of the social, cultural, and economic histories of the kingdoms of ancient Africa, and how they intersected with the classical Mediterranean world
  • Critically discuss the reception and historiography of Africa in Ancient History, its colonial legacy, and its reassessment
  • Analyse different forms of evidence (archaeological, literary, epigraphic, papyrological, art historical, linguistic) to understand and challenge established historiographies
  • Assess the importance of the African kingdoms in wider discussions of the ancient world, generally and in specific time periods
  • Construct advanced arguments using interdisciplinary methods and evidence, and communicate them both in writing and orally