This reference work provides an account of the development of African society from the first appearance of humans to the complex polity of today. It covers the development of modern man, the differentiation and spread of African languages, the first crossings of the Sahara, the exploration of the Niger, and the search for the fountains of the Nile . Gold and ivory lure traders from far away; Christendom and Islam compete for African attention. Names from the distant past become nation-states with asperations appropriate to the modern world.