# One North African Civilization or More?



## Jdailey1991 (Nov 2, 2016)

Throughout pre-Roman history, North Africa and the Middle East had its fair share of civilizations--not just the popular Egyptians, but also the Carthaginians, the Sumerians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians and the Hittites. The reason that there were so many civilizations in so small area sizes is simple--they built their cities in deserts! Even on the Mediterranean coast, the environments in Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq are so extreme that farming and irrigation would require an extra degree of ingenuity.

Things are no better off in the Sahara, either. Highs average around 104 degrees Fahrenheit, it is sandy mixed with rocky and the Nile, as far as I know, is the only river that can cut through the desert rock and sand and to the Mediterranean.

In this alternate Africa, things are a little different. For starters, North Africa is 100% rock, which means none of the sand dunes that made Arabia or the Sahara so notorious.








North Africa has its own series of Great Lakes. (Though this map does not take rivers into account, and Lake Chad, in this scenario, is not of an accurate shape or area size.)







A more accurate Lake Chad, the result of 30 million years of intense rain, heat and floods turning a series of massive, ancient calderas into one huge lake. Flowing from Lake Chad are six of this alternate Africa's important rivers--Tigris, Jordan, Pishon, Euphrates, Gihon and Nile.







In this alternate Earth, Arabia is a mere extension of northeastern Africa, erasing both the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden off the map. Also, the mountains are arranged differently. The Atlas Mountains still stand by the Sahara’s northwestern coast, but they are taller – the tallest peak being 21,810 feet above the level of the sea, 1500 feet taller than Denali. Outlining the coasts of Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Yemen and Oman is a range of volcanic mountains called the Aden BahÃ§esi. Its highest peak stands 24,341 feet above sea level, 1500 feet higher than Aconcagua back home. All of Africa’s rivers originate from those two mountain ranges.

Now let's take the possible effects of civilization into account. Would these changes create larger civilizations, perhaps even full-blown empires (at least before the Macedonians and Romans marched along)?


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## ThinkerX (Nov 3, 2016)

Lake Chad and Lake Congo are missing from the third map, which also sports a different northern coastline from the other two.  I find this confusing.

However, if you are asking about an expanded Lake Chad being the center point of a major civilization, the answer is yes - eventually.  What you seem to have done is replaced the Mediterranean civilizations with African based ones. So first tribes, then city-states and petty fiefs, then a time of conquerors, and finally a rough analog of the roman empire or some such.


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## Jdailey1991 (Nov 3, 2016)

ThinkerX said:


> Lake Chad and Lake Congo are missing from the third map, which also sports a different northern coastline from the other two.  I find this confusing.




It was supposed to be three maps wrapped into one, but since I suck at accuracy, three separate maps are the best I can make.


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## ascanius (Nov 3, 2016)

looking at http://www.goes-r.gov/users/comet/tropical/textbook_2nd_edition/media/graphics/sthp_winds_jan.jpg for january, and http://www.goes-r.gov/users/comet/tropical/textbook_2nd_edition/media/graphics/sthp_winds_july.jpg for july. 

I think you made Africa even drier than what it already is.  To the northwest you now have a really high mountain range that blocks, rain shadow, precipitation from the north Atlantic high pressure system.  while in the south you have another mountain range that blocks both the high pressure centers of the Indian and south Atlantic ocean.  Most likely, especially in the southern part of Africa it is going to be a desert on the interior of that circular mountain range.  The parts where rainfall is going to stay relitively normal, probably diminished is the area around Nigeria.  Basically the interior is going to be very dry.

Now the lakes.  having mountains so close to the coast is going to act as a barrier.  This means that there is going to be very little precipitation that makes it to the interior side of theses mountain ranges.  This means that snowfall is going to be low, I don't think there will be enough precipitation to supply those two huge lakes with enough water.  Lake Chad is an actual lake, it used to be much larger but has dwindled massively in size.  I think that see how lake chad is already so small now without the very large mountain ranges obstructing precipitation I doubt that those lake are going to be that big.

What does this mean for civilizations, most likely they are going to have a very hard time supporting large civilizations in the interior, on the coast you are more likely to see a civilization evolve.  however seeing how on the west there is the Atlantic ocean, on the east the Indian ocean and with the prevailing winds the way they are it is going to be very difficult create trade ocean routes that can support a civilization along the coast, especially with bronze age tech.  You could get a large isolated civilization to emerge like the Aztecs that is always a possibility but I doubt you are going to see something along the lines of the roman empire, or even Egyptian and Greek.  the vast majority of settlements are going to pop up around the coast.

As an aside.  You are aware that?...Sumerians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians and the Hittites didn't inhabit northern Africa, they inhabited what is now Iraq, Syria, and turkey.


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## Jdailey1991 (Nov 3, 2016)

ascanius said:


> I think you made Africa even drier than what it already is.  To the northwest you now have a really high mountain range that blocks, rain shadow, precipitation from the north Atlantic high pressure system.  while in the south you have another mountain range that blocks both the high pressure centers of the Indian and south Atlantic ocean.  Most likely, especially in the southern part of Africa it is going to be a desert on the interior of that circular mountain range.  The parts where rainfall is going to stay relitively normal, probably diminished is the area around Nigeria.  Basically the interior is going to be very dry.
> 
> 
> As an aside.  You are aware that?...Sumerians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians and the Hittites didn't inhabit northern Africa, they inhabited what is now Iraq, Syria, and turkey.




That's because I cropped off the Tethys Sea to focus on Africa.  Also, you are aware that I've made the Middle East an extension of northeastern Africa?


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## ascanius (Nov 6, 2016)

Jdailey1991 said:


> That's because I cropped off the Tethys Sea to focus on Africa.  Also, you are aware that I've made the Middle East an extension of northeastern Africa?



Ok, taking another look yeah you made the middle east part of Africa.... Doesn't change everything else.  The way you have set up your mountain ranges plus how Africa is naturally means that it is very very dry in the interior.  Even in the north east the amount of precipitation is going to be similar to modern day Morocco and north Africa along the Mediterranean sea.  If a large civilization is going to form it would most likely form along the north eastern coast and around Egypt, the Nile river does wonders.  You may get some smaller civilizations popping up along the eastern coast (Saudi Arabia) but with difficulty seeing as there are few trading opportunities.  Anyway just my thoughts


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