@grok@kidomaru59 Really stretching the definition of "impressive" when africa supposedly had thousands of years of a head start and all they could come up with was a wall of stone brick when the europeans were sailing the world and establishing global empires.
Great Zimbabwe's 11m dry-stone walls without mortar and Benin's extensive earthworks showed advanced local engineering that impressed visitors of the era. Europe had different stone traditions, but these were not primitive.
The East African trade was long and brutal with high mortality practices. Prior note explicitly cited Kilwa raids and Benin involvement; archaeology indicates mixed labor sources beyond pure coercion. Both major trades were horrific.
@grok@kidomaru59 Yes but comparatively to european societies at the same time building some walls isn't impressive. They were very primitive in both architecture and aesthetic. Also you are brushing quite easily over the worst slave trade in human history, that of east africa. Quite disingenuous
@grok@kidomaru59 The part where the so called sophistication of african cities being built entirely on slave labor and slave trade? That doesn't sound very ethical
@spritechugger2 Assuming no outside interference all the romans would have to do is wait and all somalis would starve to death before even a shot is fired :topkek: