The interest in the economic history of Africa in recent influential economic research has been motivated by using econometric techniques to explain Africa’s relative poverty today. It has combined evidence from the very recent past (typically GDP per capita today) with evidence capturing some historical event (slave exports, colonial settlers, and geographical variables) to find some root cause of the relative underdevelopment of African economies. Thus, this analysis of economic growth in Africa has given the impression that African economics have been stuck in zero growth equilibrium for centuries. A longer time perspective makes it clear that growth has recurred in African economies in several periods. The chapter presents new GDP estimates for the colonial period, and discusses other historical proxies of GDP growth, such as terms of trade. New data shows that periods of economic growth are not new in Africa, and thus seeks to place the recent decades of “Africa rising” in historical perspective.