when did the trans saharan trade routes begin
Trans-Saharan trade The Sahara once had a very different environment. In Libya and Algeria, from at least 7000 BC, there was pastoralism, the hearding of sheep, goats, large settlements, and pottery. Cattle were introduced to the Central Sahara (Ahaggar) from 4000 to 3500 BC. Remarkable rock paintings (dated 3500 to 2500 BC), in places which are currently very dry, portray vegetation, and animal presence rather different from modern expectations.[1]
Kingdom of Benin The first European travelers to reach Benin were Portuguese explorers starting with Joao Afonso de AveiroÂ (pt) in about 1485. A strong mercantile relationship developed, with the Edo trading tropical products such as ivory, pepper and palm oil with for European goods such as Manilla (money) and guns. In the early 16th century, the Oba sent an ambassador to Lisbon, and the king of Portugal sent Christian missionaries to Benin City. Some residents of Benin City could still speak a pidgin Portuguese in the late 19th century.