New List: East African Coastal (100 BC- 1505 AD)

Richard Young

Synopsis

A new list is poposed for the East African Azania, Zanj or Swahili peoples.

Proposal

100 BC – 1505 AD

Warm

Ag.1: WW, Rv, H(G), Rgo, M, Wd, O, BUA; after 1000 AD, BUA

C-in-C Irr. Ax (O) or Irr. Bw (I) 1

Sub-General as above 0-1

Coastal or Swahili Ally General as above 0-2

Spearmen and Bowmen 1/3-2/3 Irr. Bw (I), 1/3-2/3 Irr. Ax (O) 30-130

Replace up to 1/3 Bowmen with Irr. Ps (O)

African Elephants 0-1 Irr. Exp(O).

After 700 AD

Replace generals, spearmen or swordsmen with cavalry as Irr. LH(O) or Irr. Cv(I) 0-2

From 1000 AD

Replace C-in-C, Sub-General or Ally General as Irr. Bw(O) or Irr. Bd (F) All

Upgrade up to ¼ Bowmen as Irr. Bw (O)

Swordsmen Irr. Bd (F) 0-8

Slave-troop Guards as Reg Bw(O) 0-6

Boats Irr. Bts (O) 0-4 Ax, Bw, Ps

Dhows Irr. Shp (I) 0-4 Ax, Bw, Ps

From 1450 AD

Reg. Art (O) 0-1

Discussion

This list covers the people who inhabited the East Coast of Africa

from the eastward migration and settlement of Bantu people to the

disruption of trade by Portuguese attacks on Swahili cities. To the

Graeco-Romans, the coast and adjcent hinterland south of Abyssinia

was known as Azania. To the Arabs who visited the coast from at least

the 8th Century, it was known as `al-Zanj' or Land of the Blacks.

From c.1000 AD many towns grew along the coast benefiting from the

Indian Ocean trade network and a recognisable Swahili language and

culture developed. Until recently, it was usually considered that the

Swahili were essentially an Arab and Persian culture imposed upon the

indigenous Africans with many people from Oman and Persia settling

along the coast. Much recent research, however, has shown that

Swahili is essentially an African culture but heavily influenced by

the Arabs including the acceptance of Islam from at least the Swahili

elite. The ruling and merchant elite of the Swahili towns included

Africans and descendants of these settlers, many of them of mixed

race who controlled and benefited much of the trade to and from the

African interior to across the Indian Ocean.

There appear to be few contemporary descriptions of East African

warriors and their weapons but at least they are consistent in that

from at least the 8th Century to the 16th Century, the inhabitants of

the East African coast were armed primarily with spears and bows.

Writing in probably the 2nd Century AD, Periplus mentions the import

of spears, axes and swords from the north. The Chinese scholar Tuan

Ch'eng-shih in the 8th Century mentioned the coastal inhabitants of

East Africa used elephant tusks, ribs and wild cattle horn as spears,

wearing corselets and also armed with bows and arrows. He also

mentions 20 myriads of foot soldiers who are continually raided by

the Arabs. Although this description is somewhat fanciful, it is

consistent with later Arab and Portuguese accounts who describe the

native inhabitants as bearing spears and bows. The Arabs traded

swords and daggers and these were favoured weapons by the Swahili who

could afford them. Swordsmen were not always common though as from an

account of the Portuguese attack on Kilwa in 1505 few of the people

were noted as carrying swords.

Spear heads were of iron and arrow heads of iron or of fire hardened

wood which could be soaked in poison. Arrows were commonly barbed.The

Portuguese also recorded the Africans of Kilwa bearing strong shields

made of palm leaves and bound with cotton.

During the Portuguese attack on Mombasa in 1505, the town fired on

the invaders with bombards from a bastion. Kilwa also had 4 bombards

although, apparently, the people were not very familiar with

gunpowder. As the Portuguese stormed Mombasa, sixty people described

as Moors, all of them dressed in Turkish style were observed walked

leisurely towards a palm grove out of the city. At the entrance to

the palm grove were no less than 500 guard bowmen described as negro

slaves.

There is no direct evidence that the Zanj or Swahili used camels or

elephants in war and little mention of horses. In the early 16th

century, the Portuguese mentioned horses as common in Mogadishu. The

climate, especially further down the coast, was particuarly hazardous

to horses and the terrain usually restrictive. The Portuguese took

camels as part of their sack of the city of Mombasa. Before the city

was taken, they had seen 2 elephants that were brought out to

frighten them. From a visit in 1331, Ibn Battuta mentioned large

numbers of camels being slaughtered in Mogadishu. In the early 10th

century, Al-Masudi recorded that Zanzibar abounded in elephants. In

the late 13th century, Marco Polo mentions that Zanzibar had no

horses but that camels and elephants were used in war. He mentions

how the elephants were used in war but I have my doubts as to the

validity of his descriptions. The famous thick wooden doors of

Zanzibar were supposedly influenced from the Indian practise of

having spikes and studs in them as an elephant deterent.

Locally built dhows and various types of boats were described by the

Arab and Portuguese as being sewn with palm instead of constructed

with nails. This has been a characteristic feature of boat

construction from before Arab settlement to today.

There is no reference to any major pitched battle. From at least the

7th Century onwards the Arabs would frequently raid the African

coast. An attack by an Omani prince in the 7th century was apparently

successfully beaten off. Coastal settlements were also under threat

of attack from people further inland. Occasionally, Swahili towns

would go on the offensive to capture slaves and cattle inland. Ibn

Battutta, visitng Kilwa in 1331, mentioned that the city was

constantly at war with the coastal people. There were also reported

rivalries between Omani and Persian merchant settlers in many of the

Swahili towns and occasional conflict among Muslims and non-Muslims.

The Swahili culture was very structured and well organised but not

particularly militaristic. Therefore, my preference is for irregular

commands although an option for a regular CinC and Subgeneral could

be argued. Alliances between the towns were common as were disputes

and sometimes several towns could be under the control of one sultan.

Bombards can only be used if deployed in a BUA.