HISTORY LESSON

During the LSA (40,000 - 19,000 years ago), evidence of long-distance trade networks and interactions between communities in the Horn of Africa becomes more prominent. Archaeological findings indicate the exchange of materials like obsidian, which was sourced from Ethiopia’s highlands and transported to regions as far as Sudan, Kenya, and the Arabian Peninsula. Marine shells and ornamental objects have been found in inland sites, suggesting a trade system that spanned coastal areas to the highlands. These trade routes not only facilitated the movement of valuable resources like ochre, used for symbolic purposes, but also fostered exchanges of ideas, cultural practices, and technologies such as improved lithic tools and early forms of symbolic art. Trade would have fostered the development of multilingual skills. This period of extensive interaction laid the foundation for the emergence of more complex societies, highlighting the Horn of Africa’s role as a hub of human innovation and connectivity long before recorded history. By prehistoric times, communities were speaking lots of languages—Semitic, Cushitic, Omotic, Nilo-Saharan, and more.