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Macrobia Facts & Worksheets

Macrobia was a powerful ancient tribal kingdom situated on the Somali peninsula in the Horn of Africa.

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Macrobia was a powerful ancient tribal kingdom situated on the Somali peninsula in the Horn of Africa. It existed during the 1st millennium BCE along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in the area that is presently Somalia. There are not many written records about the Macrobian Empire.

See the fact file below for more information on the Macrobia or alternatively, you can download our 21-page Macrobia worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

HISTORY OF MACROBIA

  • The Macrobian Empire is said to have operated at its peak in the 1st millennium BCE.
  • Although there aren’t many written records about the kingdom or its people, most of our modern understanding of Macrobia comes from Greek accounts.
  • The Greeks believed that Macrobia was located “at the edge of the explored world.”
  • Macrobians are known as “proto-Somalis,” meaning they were the ancient people and ancestors of Somalis.

THE MACROBIAN PEOPLE

  • The Macrobian people didn’t keep detailed histories of their daily life or culture.
  • Through Greek accounts, the Macrobian people were able to live extremely long lives.
  • One account stated that the average person living in Macrobia would live to the age of 120.
  • The Macrobians were also reputed for being incredibly tall and very handsome.
  • When someone died, the Macrobians would mummify them, similar to how Egyptians and other civilizations honored and buried their dead.
  • They used embalming, which is the process of preserving human or animal remains to make them viewable for ceremonial purposes.
  • Macrobians used embalming to sanitize, present, and preserve the bodies of the dead, and it likely had great religious meaning in their culture.
  • The bodies of the dead would be wrapped in plaster (seen in the photo), left to dry, then painted and decorated.
  • The goal of the painting and decorating was to make the deceased individuals look presentable to others.
  • Macrobian families would then keep the preserved corpse in a container in their home for a period of time, usually about 1 year.
  • The container was often a hollow crystal pillar.

TRADE AND RELATIONSHIPS

  • According to Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian who used systematic investigation to create his histographic narratives, the Macrobians had a complex trading system.
  • Their trade network involved merchants from as far away as modern-day Tunisia.
  • Macrobians often had a steady supply of gold, and once this fact was discovered by other empires, the King of Persia became interested; it was even rumored that Macrobia had so much gold that they shackled their prisoners in chains made of gold.
  • According to Herodotus’s archives, the King of Persia (Cambyses II) tried to get to Macrobia so that he could invade.
  • Once he had conquered Egypt in 525 BCE, Cambyses sent his ambassadors to Macrobia with expensive, luxury gifts to entice the Macrobian king into submission.
  • However, the Macrobian king replied with a challenge to Cambyses – if he or his Persian troops could manage to string an unstrung bow, they would have the right to invade his his country.
  • If they were unable to do this, they could not invade, and should “thank the gods that the Macrobians never invaded them.”

OTHER FACTS ABOUT MACROBIA

  • Many historians and authors have tried to make connections between Macrobia and other tribal groups in Africa.
  • James Rennell, a 19th century historian and geographer, wrote about the similarities Macrobians share with the Abyssinians, who were located in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
  • Elisee Reclus, another 19th century geographer (and writer) linked the Macrobians with tribes in what is now Sudan.
  • Macrobians were ancestral to the Automoli or ancient Somalis.
  • They were, according to Greek archives, warrior herders and seafarers.
  • Along with their mass amounts of gold, Macrobians were also known for their advanced architecture, building several monuments in and around the Horn of Africa, although the builders of these monuments hasn’t been thoroughly verified.
  • Macrobians also had access to luxurious items such as silver, gemstones, frankincense, myrrh, ivory, hide, and spices.
  • When Macrobia collapsed, several proto-Somali city-states emerged; many of them were very wealthy.
  • Some of the emergent city-states included Malao, Mundus, Mosylon, and Opone – all of whom competed for trade with neighboring tribes.

Macrobia Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Macrobia across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Macrobia worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Macrobia which was a powerful ancient tribal kingdom situated on the Somali peninsula in the Horn of Africa. It existed during the 1st millennium BCE along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in the area that is presently Somalia. There are not many written records about the Macrobian Empire.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Macrobia Facts
  • Ancient Kingdoms Map
  • The Mummification Process
  • Macrobia Crossword
  • Trading Troubles
  • Kingdom Unscrambling
  • For The Record
  • Macrobian Collage
  • Hero Historians
  • Macrobia Wordsearch
  • Design a Coat of Arms

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Link will appear as Macrobia Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 27, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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