Socio-Economic Structure of the Ancient Songhai Empire

Week 4:

TOPIC: Socio-Economic Structure of the Ancient Songhai Empire

The ancient Songhai Empire was the largest, and its economic structure was similar to that of the old Ghana and Mali great empires. The economy was structured around agriculture, trade, gold, art, craft and education. The empire had a very stable economy, which attracted many people to the empire, especially the cities of Gao, Djenne and Timbuktu.

Agriculture was the primary means through which the people of the empire lived and survived. To sustain life, food is very necessary, and farming was a major key economy booster. Since the empire was located along the Niger River Bend, the silt soil was fertile for farming. The empire had a large number…