The Golden Rhinoceros: Histories of the African Middle Ages

Description

An unforgettable journey into the forgotten history of medieval Africa From the birth of Islam in the seventh century to the voyages of European exploration in the fifteenth, Africa was at the centre of a vibrant exchange of goods and ideas. It was an African golden age in which Ghana, Nubia, and Zimbabwe became the crossroads of civilisations, and where African royals, thinkers, and artists played celebrated roles in an increasingly globalised world. Francois-Xavier Fauvelle brings this thrilling era marvellously to life. A book that finally recognises Africa's important role in the Middle Ages, The Golden Rhinoceros carefully pieces together the written and archaeological evidence to tell an unforgettable story that is at once sensitive to Africa's rich social diversity and alert to the trajectories that connected Africa with the wider Muslim and Christian worlds.

Francois-Xavier Fauvelle is professor at the College de France, Paris. One of the world's leading historians of ancient Africa, he has conducted archaeological digs in South Africa, Ethiopia, and Morocco.

"The 2018 Medieval Book of the Year"