Sao culture

Sao culture appears on the timeline as a people or culture of Lake Chad basin (North and West Africa) from c. 500 BCE to 1600 CE, a span of 2,099 years. Its people spoke Chadic languages (Hausa).

Walled towns south of Lake Chad known for terracotta figures and bronze work. Kanem and Bornu wars absorbed them, and the Kotoko claim descent from them.

See Sao culture on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates

c. 500 BCE to 1600 CE

Duration

2,099 years

Type

People or culture

Region

Lake Chad basin, North and West Africa

Language family

Chadic

Events in North and West Africa during its time

• 500 BCE Iron smelting in West Africa
• 331 BCE Founding of Alexandria
• 146 BCE Destruction of Carthage
• 30 BCE Death of Cleopatra
• 330 Aksum adopts Christianity
• 641 Arab conquest of Egypt
• 652 The Baqt treaty
• 670 Founding of Kairouan

Neighbours in North and West Africa

• Ghana Empire (Wagadu) c. 300 to 1200 CE
• Kingdom of Aksum c. 100 to 940 CE
• Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty) 1270 to 1974 CE
• Carthage c. 814 to 146 BCE
• Mali Empire c. 1235 to 1670 CE
• Ptolemaic Kingdom 305 to 30 BCE
• Mamluk Sultanate 1250 to 1517 CE
• Fatimid Caliphate 909 to 1171 CE
• Songhai Empire 1464 to 1591 CE
• Almoravid dynasty 1040 to 1147 CE

Elsewhere in the world at the same time

• Republic of Venice c. 697 to 1797 CE, Europe
• Byzantine Empire 395 to 1453 CE, Europe
• Byzantine Empire 395 to 1453 CE, Middle East
• Swahili city-states c. 800 to 1700 CE, Central and Southern Africa
• Holy Roman Empire 962 to 1806 CE, Europe
• Srivijaya c. 650 to 1377 CE, Southeast Asia
• Moche (Mochica) c. 100 to 800 CE, South America
• Teotihuacan c. 100 BCE to 550 CE, Mesoamerica and Caribbean
• Khmer Empire 802 to 1431 CE, Southeast Asia
• Ottoman Empire 1299 to 1922 CE, Europe

Questions