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The Tichitt Civilization, located in present-day Mauritania, featured some of the earliest instances of urbanization in west Africa, They were skilled in growing pearl millet, allowing them to settle down and construct stone homes, forts, and monuments. They engaged in cave art, helped start the trans-Saharan trade, and built ornate stone funerary monuments. As the Sahara expanded, they were forced to move south over time. The Nok civilization, named after the artifacts discovered near the Nigerian town of Nok, created unique terracotta sculptures with triangular eyes. It is believed that a central authority controlled the supply of the material used to create artifacts ,iron was scarce and valuable. Some historians believe they may have developed advanced smelting techniques independently. Djenne-Djenno was a large ancient city in Mali, located on the Niger River Delta, and was likely a center for trade and prosperity due to its location at the crossroads of the trans-Saharan trade routes. Its inhabitants engaged in pagan ancestor worship, created extensive pottery and terracotta sculptures, and used advanced smelting methods to produce iron weapons and tools. Their trade goods were found as far as 750 kilometers away, indicating they were part of a vast network of exchange. The sculptures found were of ordinary people, complete with signs of debilitating diseases and scars, implying they were placed in household shrines for worship. The Scythians were a nomadic people who migrated from Central Asia to southern Russia and Ukraine and established an empire centred on Crimea. They were skilled horsemen and warriors, known for their complex culture and richly worked gold and bead-filled graves. The Scythian army was made up of freemen who received no wage but sha red in the booty on presentation of the head of a slain enemy. They were skilled archers and wore Greek-style helmets and chain-mail jerkins, and their principal weapon was a double-curved bow and trefoil-shaped arrows. The Apache, a Native American group, lived in the Southwest US and northern Mexico. They farmed, hunted, and raided neighboring villages, and were divided into Eastern and Western tribes. Though initially friendly with the Spanish, Mexicans, and Americans, conflicts arose over incursions on their land for mining, and the Apache were defeated by American troops. The last of the Apache wars ended in 1886, with the Chiricahua tribe imprisoned for 27 years before they were allowed to take land allotments or live in the Mescalero Reservation. Mali's Islamic Kings were some of the richest in history due to their combination of trade and resources. They had a large army that conquered rivals and forced them to pay tribute. They supplied gold for banking in Renaissance Italy and profited from trans-Saharan trade routes. Mansa Musa I, the richest person ever, had a personal fortune of over $400 billion. Mali declined in the 15th century due to rival trade routes, maritime trade, and the rise of the Songhai Empire. The Songhai Empire, founded by Sunni Ali, was the largest and most powerful in the history of West Africa, covering an area of over 1.4 million square km at its height. Ali won 32 wars straight by being both lenient and ruthless. His successor, Askia Mohammed, made the empire reach its greatest height, controlling most of West Africa and its trade. Timbuktu became a center of learning for mathematics, astronomy, and medicine with a population of 100,000, nearly a third of which were university students. Aboriginal people in Australia are made up of many distinct groups, with a complex genetic history and a strong connection to their country and culture. They developed distinct languages, law, trade networks, and religions over time. Contemporary beliefs are a mixture of traditional beliefs, colonialism's disruption, and contemporary issues. Before European colonisation, there were over 250 Aboriginal languages. Today, most Aboriginal people live in cities and speak English, with some using Aboriginal phrases. Aboriginal people, along with Torres Strait Islander people, face severe health and economic deprivations.