'A contemporary reawakening of the rise, fall and remains of African ancient kingdoms ... Illuminates the many myths and histories that make the continent magical. This book is useful in invigorating new interests in the understanding of Africa's past and present, especially its history of creativity' - RA Magazine
Introduction: Kings, Kingship and Kingdoms in African History John Parker
1. Ancient Egypt and Nubia: Kings of Floods and Kings of Rain David Wengrow
2. The Sudanic Empires: The Gold, the Arts, the River Rahmane Idrissa
3. The Solomonic Christian Kingdom of Ethiopia Habtamu Tegegne and Wendy Laura Belcher
4. The Yoruba and Benin Kingdoms Olatunji Ojo
5. The Kongo Kingdom Cécile Fromont
6. Buganda John Parker
7. From Hausa Kingdoms to the Sokoto Caliphate Muhammadu Mustapha Gwadabe
8. The Akan Forest Kingdom of Asante John Parker
9. The Zulu Kingdom Wayne Dooling
John Parker taught the History of Africa at SOAS University of London from 1998 to 2020. He is the co-author of African History: A Very Short Introduction (2007), co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Modern African History (2013), and the author of In My Time of Dying: A History of Death and the Dead in West Africa (2021).