TechnologyNorth Africa
The camel crosses the Sahara
The desert becomes a sea that can be sailed
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Salt was as valuable as gold in the south, because the body needs it and it was not found there. The caravans bound West Africa to the Mediterranean and made Ghana, Mali and Songhai rich. The camel probably came from Arabia via Egypt, and its arrival is a rare case of one animal opening a whole continent.
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The camel can go for days without water and carry heavy loads. When it reached North Africa, the Sahara became regularly crossable. Gold from the south and salt from the north began to change places, and new kingdoms grew up.
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Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org