RoryGalway reviewed The Forgotten Era by Max Siollun
Excellent book
5 stars
I knew nothing about Nigerian history before reading this but found it accessible and extremely well written.
Published 2025 by Pluto Press.
Max Siollun: The Forgotten Era (2025, Pluto Press)
- ISBN:
- 978-978-074-535-6
Copied ISBN!
Much is known about what Europeans did in Africa, yet very little is known about Africa's history before it's colonisation.
In this surprising exploration, Max Siollun uncovers societies that were not part of a backward 'Dark Continent', but which instead had rich lore to rival the ancients Greeks and Romans.
Pre-colonial West Africa has a mesmerising cast of revolutionaries, intellectuals, innovators and villainous assassins. These include the family that overthrew three different 1000-year-old empires, the royal court official who engineered the death of four kings, and the young enslaved boy who became the first Black bishop in history.
Much is known about what Europeans did in Africa, yet very little is known about Africa's history before it's colonisation.
In this surprising exploration, Max Siollun uncovers societies that were not part of a backward 'Dark Continent', but which instead had rich lore to rival the ancients Greeks and Romans.
Pre-colonial West Africa has a mesmerising cast of revolutionaries, intellectuals, innovators and villainous assassins. These include the family that overthrew three different 1000-year-old empires, the royal court official who engineered the death of four kings, and the young enslaved boy who became the first Black bishop in history.