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Book: “Ancient Egypt in Africa”
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by zarahan- aka Enrique Cardova: [QB] Indeed. While some of Diop's ideas and data is out of date, other key ideas and data have been supported by modern scholars. And his basic core ideas as to the African character of Egypt remains sound. Speaking of cross-Africa connections, Macdonald himself admits a "Trans-Saharan Pastoral Technocomplex" including: [i]"a Trans-Saharan Pastoral Technocomplex dating to between 3800 and 1000 BC. Material support for this notion comes from a shared set of valued objects (notably small stone axes and stone rings), as well as a common pastoral economy and stylistically similar tumuli, which ultimately stretched from Kerma (Sudan) in the east to Dhar Tichitt (Mauritania) in the west. "[/i] from: MacDonald, KC; (1998) Before the Empire of Ghana: Pastoralism and the Origins of Cultural Complexity in the Sahel. In: Connah, G, (ed.) Transformations in Africa: essays on Africa's later past. (71 - 103). Notice that this network stretches across the expanse of Africa, though Macdonald keeps trying to limit the eastern end of it to "Nubia", as if to artificially separate out Egypt from the equation. He says this network does not imply a common culture, but his investigation is limited mostly to material and technology not common strands such as religion, or customs. And when it comes to languages, we have more info these days that Egyptian has several connections with the Chadic languages. There is no reason ancient Egyptian language elements have to show up in quantity on the Senegal river to demonstrate regional intra-African connections. Ancient Greek language or temples do not show up much in Britain circa 1000BC either. But shared things like valued objects, agricultural economies etc show broad connections. And Greek influence, like that of Egypt was in areas relatively CLOSE to Greece, namely the Mediterranean zone. Egypt's influence is likewise in areas relatively close. Nothing special there... Europe has had a common political unity over centuries due to Roman hegemony, but Africa does not have to follow any such central hegemon model. I do not agree with some of the diffusionist aspects of Diop's work but back in the late 1950s, with the data he was working with at the time, many of his arguments are understandable. And a lot of that info base Diop had to work with was often distorted, and racially biased against the peoples of Africa. Diop in many ways had to struggle against a biased, rigged system but he pushed through and reclaimed valuable ground that was essential at the time and looking forward. Diop did not publish much in his later years - English reprints of some of his works make them appear more recent than they are. But he never expected knowledge to stand still. New data is always underway, and it is up to current students, interested laymen, and and scholars to continue pushing forward the work. [/QB][/QUOTE]
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