Trade between the Phoenicians and the West coast of Africa

The Phoenicians and West African Trade

The primary commodities traded between the Phoenicians and the West Coast of Africa were gold, deer skins, leopard, lion, and elephant ivory. Around 350 B.C., trade was formed between Phoenicia and the island “Cerne” off the coast of West Africa. The traders were the Phoenicians, who could travel to Cerne, anchor their ships, and set up camp on the island. From there, they unloaded their cargo and shipped it to the West African continent in smaller boats. They engaged in barter commerce at this time, exchanging goods valued highly by the West Africans, like salt, for gold. This form of trade brought mutual benefits to both the Phoenicians and the West Africans because each group could exchange excesses with needs. As a result of the trade, there were civilizations in West Africa where the leaders tended to be more of peacemakers than warriors engaging in war. It is also through the trade that there were massive cultural exchanges between the Phoenicians and the West Africans. Many Western African people got converted to the Islam religion, values, beliefs, and cultures.

Part II

The common core standards of the year 2010 are designed to contribute to the advanced current thinking about preparing students for success in higher education, career, and life. Standards adopted were based on the top-performing countries, and hence they boost the literacy standards throughout the country. Math and English language arts standards require critical content for the student encompassing classic stories and myths from around the world. I am in support of the current common core standards because their merits outweigh the demerits and hence they are more beneficial than detrimental to the students.