North Africa: A History from Antiquity to the Present
Phillip C. Naylor
North Africa has been a vital crossroads throughout history, serving as a connection between Africa, Asia, and Europe. Paradoxically, however, the region's historical significance has been chronically under-estimated. In a book that may lead scholars to re-imagine the concept of Western civilization, incorporating the role North African peoples played in shaping "the West," Phillip Naylor describes a locale whose trans-cultural heritage serves as a crucial hinge, politically, economically, and socially. Ideal for novices and specialists alike, North Africa begins with an acknowledgment that defining this area has presented challenges throughout history. Naylor's survey encompasses the Paleolithic period and early Egyptian cultures, leading readers through the Pharonic dynasties, the conflicts with Rome and Carthage, the rise of Islam, the growth of the Ottoman Empire, European incursions, and the postcolonial prospects for Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Western Sahara. Emphasizing the importance of encounters and interactions among civilizations, North Africa maps a prominent future for scholarship about this pivotal region.
"Naylor's approach is innovative, his research thorough and balanced and most importantly, he exhibits an exceptional empathy for the peoples and cultures of the region whose history remains little understood in the United States. This is a work of exceptional insight that deserves the widest circulation possible."
-John Entelis, Professor of Political Science and Director, Middle East Studies Program, Fordham University
eventually led to their control of northern Egypt. Concurrently, the kingdom of Kush pressed from the south, squeezing the Egyptians in a geostrategic and political vise. The Hyksos embraced Egyptian culture and ritually ruled as kings, but they also kept close relations with their compatriots in West Asia. Transculturally, the Hyksos introduced new technology, especially regarding warfare (the composite bow and the horse and chariot), which native Egyptians adopted and deployed against them.
especially during the expansive Middle and New kingdoms. Acquisitions ranged from the aforementioned military technology to musical instruments and clothing. Technologically, Egyptian agriculture benefited from the ancient water-hoist (known from the New 24 ||| n o r t h a f r i c a Kingdom), augmented by the saqia, an ox-driven water wheel believed to be of Persian invention, and later by the Archimedes screw from the Hellenistic period (Ritner 1998, 2–3). Furthermore, Asiatics and
grievous cultural loss to Western and world civilization.11 Intrigued by Cleopatra, now queen of Egypt, Caesar brought her (and the son he sired) with him to Rome. Her arrival in the capital created a sensation. Senators assassinated Caesar in 44 BCE, which forced Cleopatra to return to Egypt. In the subsequent civil war, she supported the forces of Caesar’s avengers against the conspiring senators. Enamored with Cleopatra, Mark Antony, one of Caesar’s lieutenants, divorced his wife and
Furthermore, this period initiated the geopolitical trilateralism that would become prevalent in the Maghrib, given the appearance of the Aghlabids in Tunisia, the Rustamids in Algeria, and the Idrisids in Morocco.70 With the Fatimids and Ayyubids, Egypt added new layers to its illustrious sedimentary civilization. Above all, the role of transculturalism disclosed its important role in the health and prosperity of polities and societies. Undoubtedly, convivencia represents one of the greatest
demonstrating the strength of the entente. President Theodore Roosevelt intervened and brokered the Act of Algeciras of 1906 that clearly placed Morocco in France’s sphere of influence.43 The death of a national in 1907 supplied the French with an excuse to send in troops to Oujda (Wujda) from across the Algerian frontier. During that same year, the French also took over Casablanca and began to invest in its infrastructure. Subsequent violence in Casablanca and its surrounding region led to