Question

Give two sources of information on contact between East Africa coast and outside world

Answer 1

• The Graeco- Roman Documentary which only makes indirect references to the east African coast.
• The Swahili chronicles written by the people of the coast. E.g the Kilwa chronicle gives account of achievements of coastal rulers before the arrival of the Portuguese.
• Periplus of the Erythrean Sea; by a Greek merchant in 1st Century AD describes the people and places along the coast and the Indian Ocean Trade. (Erythrean Sea Trade).
• Geopgraphia by Claudius Ptolemy makes reference to east African coast and the trade along Somalia and Kenyan coasts.
• Christian Topography of Cosmos Indico of the 6TH Century describes the trading activities on the coast of East Africa.
• Renowned travelers like Al-Mosudi, Al Idrisi and Ibn Battuta wrote firsthand accounts about the places they visited and the people they met at the coast in the 10th Century AD.
• The existing archaeological evidence in east Africa include the remains of pottery , iron tools, beads and coins which prove the presence of international trade

Answer 2

Swahili chronicles and Ptolemy's geography

Answer 3

Indian sources
Chinese sources

Answer 4

Similarities between transport and communication

Answer 5

Greeco Roman documentary 
The Christian topography 

Answer 6

Greeco Roman documentary 
The Christian topography