The Warrior Kings — Teacher Resources

The Warrior Kings

Seven Kings Who Built and Defended Africa Across More Than Three Thousand Years — Teacher Resources

This was never one exceptional king. This was a pattern.

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Quiz — The Warrior Kings

PART A — MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. How many military campaigns did Djehutymes III lead?

C) Seventeen.

Students should be able to state that Djehutymes III led seventeen military campaigns in about twenty years, recorded in his annals on the walls of Ipet-Isut. [1]Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1906. The Annals of Thutmose III at Karnak.[3]Gabriel, Richard A. Thutmose III: The Military Biography of Egypt’s Greatest Warrior King. Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2009. The seventeen campaigns. Students who answer A, B, or D are giving numbers that do not appear in the lesson.

2. At Megiddo, what route did he choose?

B) A narrow mountain pass his generals warned against.

Students should be able to explain that he chose the narrow pass his generals feared, led from the front, and took the enemy by surprise because the enemy had waited on the two wide roads. [1]Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1906. The Annals of Thutmose III at Karnak.[2]Mark, Joshua J. “Thutmose III at the Battle of Megiddo.” World History Encyclopedia. The Aruna pass, the generals’ warning, and the Euphrates stela. Students who answer A, C, or D are describing routes that do not appear in the account.

3. Which two kingdoms did Taharqa rule?

B) Kush and Kemet.

Students should be able to state that Taharqa, a king of Kush, ruled both Kush and Kemet from about 690 to 664 BCE. [5]Török, László. The Kingdom of Kush: Handbook of the Napatan-Meroitic Civilization. Leiden: Brill, 1997. Taharqa’s reign, building and wars. Students who answer A, C, or D are naming kingdoms of other kings in the lesson or kingdoms he did not rule.

4. In 674 BCE, which army did Taharqa drive back?

C) Assyria.

Students should be able to identify Assyria. A Babylonian chronicle records that in 674 BCE the army of Assyria was defeated. Strong students may add that Assyria returned three years later and took Men-nefer, now known as Memphis. [4]Grayson, A. Kirk. Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles. Locust Valley, NY: J.J. Augustin, 1975. Chronicle 1, iv 16: the Assyrian defeat of 674 BCE.[5]Török, László. The Kingdom of Kush: Handbook of the Napatan-Meroitic Civilization. Leiden: Brill, 1997. Taharqa’s reign, building and wars. Students who answer A, B, or D are naming powers that do not appear in Taharqa’s story.

5. Why did the value of gold fall in Cairo after Mansa Musa passed through?

A) He brought and spent so much gold.

Students should be able to explain that Mansa Musa passed through Cairo in 1324 with so much gold that its value there fell for years, as recorded by al-Umari. [8]Levtzion, Nehemia, and J.F.P. Hopkins, eds. Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West African History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981. Al-Umari on Mansa Musa in Cairo. Students who answer B, C, or D are giving causes that do not appear in the record.

6. Under which king did the scholars of Timbuktu flourish?

C) Askia Muhammad.

Students should be able to identify Askia Muhammad, who took the throne of Songhai in 1493. Under his rule the scholars of Timbuktu flourished, writing manuscripts on law, astronomy, mathematics and medicine. [10]Hunwick, John O. Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Sa‘di’s Ta’rikh al-sudan down to 1613. Leiden: Brill, 1999. Askia Muhammad and the scholars of Timbuktu. Students who answer A, B, or D are naming kings from other parts of the lesson.

7. What happened at the Battle of Adwa in 1896?

B) Italy was defeated.

Students should be able to state that at Adwa on March 1, 1896, Menelik II’s army defeated Italy, and that later that year Italy signed a treaty recognizing Ethiopia’s independence. [12]Jonas, Raymond. The Battle of Adwa: African Victory in the Age of Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2011. Adwa and the treaty that followed. Students who answer A, C, or D are confusing Adwa with other events.

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PART B — SHORT ANSWER KEY POINTS

Question 8. Using at least two specific details from the lesson, explain how Djehutymes III won at Megiddo — and how we know what happened.

A strong answer should include:

• At least two specific details: there were three roads to Megiddo; his generals warned against the narrow pass; he chose it anyway and led from the front; soldiers carried their chariots in pieces and led the horses single file; the enemy waited on the wide roads and was taken by surprise [1]Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1906. The Annals of Thutmose III at Karnak.[2]Mark, Joshua J. “Thutmose III at the Battle of Megiddo.” World History Encyclopedia. The Aruna pass, the generals’ warning, and the Euphrates stela.
• How we know: the campaign is recorded in his annals, carved on the walls of Ipet-Isut, now known as Karnak [1]Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1906. The Annals of Thutmose III at Karnak.
• Strong answers will note: the annals were made by the king himself, so historians read them carefully as the winner’s record

Question 9. Using at least two specific details from the lesson, compare how two of the seven kings strengthened their kingdoms in different ways.

A strong answer should include:

• At least two specific details about two kings — for example: Djehutymes III expanded Kemet by campaigns from the Euphrates to Nubia; Taharqa built temples and defended Kush and Kemet against Assyria; Mansa Musa’s wealth made Mali famous; Askia Muhammad strengthened Songhai’s government and its scholars; Shaka rebuilt the Zulu army; Menelik II gathered a great army and won at Adwa [3]Gabriel, Richard A. Thutmose III: The Military Biography of Egypt’s Greatest Warrior King. Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2009. The seventeen campaigns.[5]Török, László. The Kingdom of Kush: Handbook of the Napatan-Meroitic Civilization. Leiden: Brill, 1997. Taharqa’s reign, building and wars.[8]Levtzion, Nehemia, and J.F.P. Hopkins, eds. Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West African History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981. Al-Umari on Mansa Musa in Cairo.[10]Hunwick, John O. Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Sa‘di’s Ta’rikh al-sudan down to 1613. Leiden: Brill, 1999. Askia Muhammad and the scholars of Timbuktu.[11]Laband, John. Rope of Sand: The Rise and Fall of the Zulu Kingdom in the Nineteenth Century. Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball, 1995. Shaka and the Zulu kingdom.[12]Jonas, Raymond. The Battle of Adwa: African Victory in the Age of Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2011. Adwa and the treaty that followed.
• A clear comparison: one strength through war or defense, another through building, wealth, learning or diplomacy
• Strong answers will use specific dates or records from the lesson

Question 10. Using at least two specific details from the lesson, explain why the lesson calls these seven kings a pattern.

A strong answer should include:

• At least two specific details: the kings span more than three thousand years, from about 1479 BCE to 1896, and lands across the continent — Kemet, Kush, Mali, Songhai, the Zulu kingdom and Ethiopia [1]Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1906. The Annals of Thutmose III at Karnak.[12]Jonas, Raymond. The Battle of Adwa: African Victory in the Age of Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2011. Adwa and the treaty that followed.
• Why a pattern: different peoples, places and centuries, yet each built or defended a great kingdom — builders, scholars, generals and emperors
• Strong answers will connect: one example can be dismissed as an exception; seven across three thousand years cannot

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Sources & Footnotes

1. [1] Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1906. The Annals of Thutmose III at Karnak.
2. [2] Mark, Joshua J. “Thutmose III at the Battle of Megiddo.” World History Encyclopedia. The Aruna pass, the generals’ warning, and the Euphrates stela.
3. [3] Gabriel, Richard A. Thutmose III: The Military Biography of Egypt’s Greatest Warrior King. Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2009. The seventeen campaigns.
4. [4] Grayson, A. Kirk. Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles. Locust Valley, NY: J.J. Augustin, 1975. Chronicle 1, iv 16: the Assyrian defeat of 674 BCE.
5. [5] Török, László. The Kingdom of Kush: Handbook of the Napatan-Meroitic Civilization. Leiden: Brill, 1997. Taharqa’s reign, building and wars.
6. [6] Dunham, Dows. The Royal Cemeteries of Kush, Vol. II: Nuri. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1955. Taharqa’s pyramid at Nuri.
7. [7] Niane, D.T. Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali. London: Longman, 1965. The oral tradition of Sundiata Keita.
8. [8] Levtzion, Nehemia, and J.F.P. Hopkins, eds. Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West African History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981. Al-Umari on Mansa Musa in Cairo.
9. [9] The Catalan Atlas, 1375. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris. Mansa Musa shown holding gold.
10. [10] Hunwick, John O. Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Sa‘di’s Ta’rikh al-sudan down to 1613. Leiden: Brill, 1999. Askia Muhammad and the scholars of Timbuktu.
11. [11] Laband, John. Rope of Sand: The Rise and Fall of the Zulu Kingdom in the Nineteenth Century. Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball, 1995. Shaka and the Zulu kingdom.
12. [12] Jonas, Raymond. The Battle of Adwa: African Victory in the Age of Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2011. Adwa and the treaty that followed.

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Note on This Lesson

In their own words: the annals of Djehutymes III record his answer to the generals who warned him against the narrow pass: “I … shall proceed upon this Aruna road!” The Babylonian chronicle for 674 BCE records: “The army of Assyria was defeated in Egypt.” (“Egypt” is the translator’s word for Kemet.) [1]Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1906. The Annals of Thutmose III at Karnak.[4]Grayson, A. Kirk. Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles. Locust Valley, NY: J.J. Augustin, 1975. Chronicle 1, iv 16: the Assyrian defeat of 674 BCE.

On names: Djehutymes is the king’s own name; Thutmose is the later Greek form of it. Accounts of Sundiata Keita’s childhood come from oral tradition, preserved by griots, and are marked as tradition in this lesson. [1]Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1906. The Annals of Thutmose III at Karnak.[7]Niane, D.T. Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali. London: Longman, 1965. The oral tradition of Sundiata Keita.

The images in this lesson are illustrations created for teaching. They are not photographs of historical people or documents.

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