Page 140 - Empires of Medieval West Africa

Glossary

alliance a friendship or bond between courtier a person who lives at the royal
groups of people court as a friend or advisor to the ruler
archaeologist a scientist who studies past delta a piece of land shaped like a triangle
human life by looking at fossils, buildings, at the mouth of a river left by flowing water
tools, and other artifacts left behind by made from deposits of mud and sand
ancient peoples descendants relatives who trace their roots
archery shooting with a bow and arrow; a back to one person
person who does this is an archer diviner someone who predicts the future,
arid very dry detects hidden secrets, or prescribes sacri-
aristocrat a member of a small group of fices to solve problems and remedies to cure
people of the highest class in a society; the illness.
adjective is aristocratic drought a shortage of water that comes
artifact an object made by a person, usually after a long period with no rain
something left behind by a past culture dynasty a family that keeps control of a gov-
Askia the king in Songhay ernment over many generations, with rule
bard a poet who recites a story associated often passed from a parent to a child
with a particular oral tradition excavation an area that is dug up, usually
blacksmith someone who turns raw iron by archaeologists looking for the remains of
past civilizations and peoples
ore into tools and weapons; blacksmiths famine a dangerous shortage of food
were often priests as well fertile able to easily grow (for plants) or have
calabash a tropical tree that produces large, offspring (for animals and people)
woody gourds (a fleshy fruit with a hard genie a magical spirit of the bush
skin); dried calabash gourds are still used to gesere Soninke people who specialize in
make containers and even as part of musical music and retelling oral histories
instruments javelin a light spear that is thrown
caravan a group of people traveling together, jeli a public speaker and musician who spoke
often traders for the king, sang his praises, and told stories
cavalry soldiers who fight on horseback about important ancestors; the plural is jeliw
clan a group of close-knit families mansa the king in Mali
cleric a religious leader or scholar, such as a matrilineal something passed down
priest through the family of one’s mother
commerce the activity of buying and sell- medieval from the time of the Middle Ages
ing goods (the period of history from about 500 to
concubine a woman who is supported by about 1500)
a man and lives with him without being mithqal a unit of gold dust currency
legally married to him mosque a Muslim place of worship

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