3000 BC to 1379

Cradle of the Bantu languages

The grasslands on today's border with Nigeria are thought to be the homeland of the Bantu languages: from about four thousand years ago their speakers begin spreading south and east across much of Africa. Rock shelters such as Shum Laka hold traces of people living here for many thousands of years. Near Lake Chad, the Sao culture builds walled towns and is remembered for its terracotta figures.