Michael Baizerman Author

  I'm collecting data for the third (and probably last) part of my current study, 'The Quest for the River of Gold'. Devoted to medieval West Africa, this research aims to show the nuances of the Trans-Saharan trade and a long way of transporting gold from its sources to clients. I have finished the initial quest and now have to peruse some books and academic articles before starting to estimate my collection of facts and opinions.  My latest publicized article, Beware of 'Barbarians', has gained traction among many readers, becoming my second best extract after only a week's run. My ratings have surged 33 % at the same time. Besides, I have received a vast array of the critics' opinions about my piece of writing. Many of them offer friendly advice about how I can improve my work. You can view my paper  https://www.academia.edu/44115626/Beware_of_Barbarians  and get to know my other opuses  https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael I wish you all sec...

  I finished the draft of the second part of the new research.  As I have already told you, the chapter will probably comprise three parts. Part 3 will be about the Wangara traders in West Africa. This is a vast social group of inter-region traders and Muslim scholars who founded settlements along the trade routes throughout the region. These guys delivered gold produced by the miners to the Sahel market towns where it was exchanged for an array of products essential for local and inter-regional trade.  I am also considering the future developments of my project. It is high time to speak about Portugal as an emerging sea power in the fourteenth- early fifteenth century and maybe to continue the story about the discovery of the mid-Atlantic islands (Madeira  and the Azores).     Meanwhile, I uploaded a new chapter from my second book. The extract titled Beware of the 'Barbarians'  elaborates on the role of Alexander Macedon as the guardian of the civili...

  The African king depicted on the Catalan Atlas is boasting of his gold reserve Courtesy: https://www.quora.com/Individually-and-together-what-effects-did-colonialism-the-scramble-for-Africa-and-the-slave-trade-have-on-Africa  The second part of the chapter is getting into shape. I am writing about the difficulties of crossing the Great Desert, the logistics of the journey, and its economic necessity. What is left is a conclusion and the general polish of the text. I am hopeful it won't take that long.  The third part of the chapter will be devoted to the Wangara traders, a group of West-African merchants who engaged in salt for gold exchange. They had access to the forest zone and contacted with the gold miners. However, their impact was not reduced to gold alone. Again, the phenomenon is more important to me than a rigid time frame.  It will probably be the last part of the chapter. I decided to avoid depicting the Portuguese advancement into Guinea at this s...