Bantu farmers of the Congo basin

Bantu farmers of the Congo basin appears on the timeline as a people or culture of Congo Basin and Katanga (Central and Southern Africa) from c. 500 BCE to 1500 CE, a span of 1,999 years. Its people spoke Bantu languages (Kongo, Shona, Zulu, Swahili, Luba, Ganda).

Bantu-speaking villagers spread along the rivers of the inner basin from about 400 BCE (the Imbonga pottery tradition), later adding Asian bananas and iron tools. Their chiefdoms were the base for the Kuba, Luba and Lunda states.

See Bantu farmers of the Congo basin on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates: c. 500 BCE to 1500 CE
Duration: 1,999 years
Type: People or culture
Region: Congo Basin and Katanga, Central and Southern Africa
Language family: Bantu

Events in Central and Southern Africa during its time

500 BCE Iron smelting in the Great Lakes
50 The Periplus describes Azania
1331 Ibn Battuta visits Kilwa
1350 Great Enclosure built at Great Zimbabwe
1483 Diogo Cão reaches the Congo River
1491 Kongo's king is baptised
1498 Vasco da Gama on the Swahili coast

Neighbours in Central and Southern Africa

Swahili city-states c. 800 to 1700 CE
Kingdom of Kongo c. 1390 to 1914 CE
Kingdom of Zimbabwe c. 1220 to 1450 CE
Kingdom of Buganda c. 1300 to 1966 CE
Kilwa Sultanate c. 957 to 1513 CE
Bunyoro-Kitara c. 1400 to 1899 CE
Mutapa Empire c. 1430 to 1760 CE
Kingdom of Butua c. 1450 to 1683 CE
Kingdom of Ndongo c. 1500 to 1671 CE
Kingdom of Mapungubwe c. 1075 to 1220 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
Ghana Empire (Wagadu) c. 300 to 1200 CE, North and West Africa
Holy Roman Empire 962 to 1806 CE, Europe
Kingdom of Aksum c. 100 to 940 CE, North and West Africa
Srivijaya c. 650 to 1377 CE, Southeast Asia
Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty) 1270 to 1974 CE, North and West Africa
Moche (Mochica) c. 100 to 800 CE, South America
Carthage c. 814 to 146 BCE, North and West Africa

Questions

When did Bantu farmers of the Congo basin exist?

c. 500 BCE to 1500 CE, about 1,999 years. These dates are approximate, because the evidence for its beginning or end is uncertain.

Where was Bantu farmers of the Congo basin?

Congo Basin and Katanga, in Central and Southern Africa.

What language did Bantu farmers of the Congo basin speak?

Bantu. This family includes Kongo, Shona, Zulu, Swahili, Luba, Ganda.