LLPOT 721 - African Art and Culture

Discover the African continent through the artifacts of its powerful kingdoms. Beginning with Ancient Egypt in 3000 BC and culminating with Benin (Nigera) in the 19th century and Kuba (Republic of Congo) in the 20th century, African kingdoms evolved with hereditary leaderships and distinct caste systems. What do these kingdoms have in common, what makes them distinctive, and what do they reveal to us about African culture? We'll explore sculpture, jewelry, and artifacts from everyday life; oral history (the Queen of Sheba is purported to have come from the Kingdom of Kush); and, where appropriate, written records to probe the religious, political, and cultural systems of these kingdoms, and, by association, the great continent.