On the East coast there was certainly urban development although Zimbabwe, an important city, was not built until about the 14th century. But in truth, archaeology is lacking for many parts of sub-Saharan Africa as nobody has expected or expects anything. Mali of course was then a rich and influential state. Famously, the Moors arrived in Spain from Morocco and other parts of Northern Africa and built one of the outstanding civilisations of the time.

On the East coast there was certainly urban development although Zimbabwe, an important city, was not built until about the 14th century. But in truth, archaeology is lacking for many parts of sub-Saharan Africa as nobody has expected or expects anything. Mali of course was then a rich and influential state. Famously, the Moors arrived in Spain from Morocco and other parts of Northern Africa and built one of the outstanding civilisations of the time.

The question under consideration confuses country of Egypt with the continent of Africa. Aside from Egypt and the African coast along the Mediterranean, we know almost nothing about the rest of the African continent. As for Egypt, its social and cultural advances were overturned and then lost when the Greeks and later the Romans conquered that country. And when the Romans were defeated in Europe, "knowledge" disappeared with the loss of the education system and this led to the so-called Dark Ages there. In the mean time the Byzantine Empire kept its hold over much of the Middle East and also Egypt. When the Arabs expanded into Egypt and the Byzantine Empire, they only saw the remains of Greek and Roman culture with nothing left of ancient Egyptian culture and advances except what remained as oddities in history books.

Africa—the continent—has the world's oldest record of human technological achievement. Pell-mell, across Northern, Western, Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa, notable areas of accomplishment include agriculture, architecture, astronomy, commerce, communication systems, education, maritime technology, mathematics, medicine, metallurgy, and textiles. (Some would include warfare.)

Niki Gamm, thank you for the alternative viewpoint. When you say that the question confuses Egypt with the continent of Africa, what do you mean? Are you suggesting that Egypt is not actually on the continent of Africa?

Interesting to note:

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/09/07/egyptian-immigrant-wants-to-be-reclassified-as-black/

The traditional 'helmet' which signifies that an Egyptian is a Pharaoh:

http://brasil2408.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/farao-ramsesII.jpg

Ramesu Maryimana. Modern Watutsi hair style used by Rwandan Banyarwanda. The Watutsi hairdo can only be created using woolly, Black African hair. The small curls designed on the Pharaoh's helmet match the texture of frizzy afro ringlets only found in Black African people's hair:

(Denise Cappart , Reflet du Monde, 1956)

Lettie, at present we know very little about what was happening on the African continent except for Egypt. We don't even know very much about Nubia although we know it had relations with Egypt. Thanks to the Greeks and the Romans there was a disconnect between the Egypt of the pharaohs and the Europe of the Dark Ages in spite of trade relations. Again thanks to the Greeks and Romans we have some knowledge about the Mediterranean coast and, while we know that trading caravans from the interior of Africa regularly arrived there, we know virtually nothing about the people and civilizations that lived in the interior. Archaeological excavations have begun only recently (I don't mean those concerning prehistoric times.) and there are no written records yet that I know of. Until we learn more, Egypt will continue to stand as an anomaly.

Niki, thank you for your answer.

I agree that archaeological excavations in Africa are much needed to fill a largely ignored void informing us about the roots for all human civilization.

The ancient library of Alexandria was built on the continent of Africa. Centuries later, we still recognize this as the central center of knowledge in ancient times. The Greeks & Romans decided to focus their central 'learning' and knowledge centers in Africa instead of Greece or Rome. I'm sure this is 'thanks to the Africans' as there was something about African knowledge that inspired them to study there, which the locations of Greece and Rome couldn't offer. The most famous Greek philosophers studied in Africa, and I'm sure they had a good reason to do so.

Considerable thought and conversations happened before spending years and incredible funds to build one of the first large libraries in the world in Africa at that time. What do you think their reason was for this? It would make sense that the library was built closer to the highest concentration of knowledge and learning, which they determined to be in Africa, not Greece nor Rome. It looks like Greeks and Romans were 'thanking' Africa for knowledge and innovations, not the other way around. With this understanding, It is highly likely that much of Africa's history has been destroyed or rewritten to give credit to others.

Lettie,

Of course the library was built in Alexandria because by the end of the 1st millennium BCE it was the seat of Hellenistic learning, which continued after the Roman conquest. Nevertheless you have a point as by then Egypt was accepted as the first civilisation, or the oldest (it wasn't/isn't as its likely that the Mesopotamians in the 4th millennium initiated Egyptian urban culture). Plato credited it with being over 8000 years old. While there was by then some developments towards urban existence in the Levant, Turkey, and Mesopotamia, not in Egypt which turned towards urban life around the Nile when North Africa suffered quite sudden desertification from the 6th millennium. Egyptian culture was rightly revered. Manetho the Egyptian historian of the 3rd century BCE insisted that Egypt had seeded other cultures, including Greece. From there of course we received the more recent book 'Black Athena'.

But, my own researches suggest that 1) the Pre-Socratic philosophers were debating religion not Philosophical ideas in the modern sense, knew Egyptian religion, etc, and many of the concepts they produced (supposedly revolutionary) came from Egyptian thinking on the Universe, Time and the nature of reality. Egyptian thinking then was remarkable but unfortunately not presented in accessible form-that is books and treatises. It was the preserve of the elite.

Back to your question: Ruins at Qasr Ibrim-heart of Nubian Kingdom (6th century), which continued Ancient Egyptian culture. Solinke Empire of West Africa-5th century AD. Traded with Mediterranean countries.

Jenne-Jeno along Niger River, West Africa, a prosperous and important urban centre. 8th century.