عنوان
پدید آورنده
موضوع
رده
کتابخانه
محل استقرار
NATIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY NUMBER
Number
LA113591
LANGUAGE OF THE ITEM
.Language of Text, Soundtrack etc
انگلیسی
TITLE AND STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITY
Title Proper
Urbanizing Forest:
General Material Designation
[Article]
Other Title Information
Archaeological Evidence from Southern Bénin
First Statement of Responsibility
Inga Merkyte, Søren Albek, Klavs Randsborg, et al.
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.
Leiden
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
Brill
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
Until recently archaeological evidence predating the historically known Kingdom of Dahomey in southern Bénin has been next to non-existent. The situation changed when deep and long drainage channels were dug into the fertile soils at the modern town of Bohicon. In the sides of these channels, rich cultural remains appeared, confirming the assumption that high rates of soil accumulation have caused low archaeological visibility in the forest/former forest belt of West Africa. Geophysical mapping and extensive excavations have revealed two large settlements of 500-600 hectares each, partly overlapping but separated by 2000 years. This paper presents both sites - Sodohomé 1, the earliest site encountered so far in southern Bénin, and Sodohomé 2 (or Sodohomé-Bohicon) which dates to AD 900-1150/1220. Although the first has produced some remarkable results, for instance, an iron spearhead that is the oldest securely dated non-meteoritic iron object in Africa known so far, the focus is on the latter site where evidence demonstrates the existence of a true town with craft specialisation, industrial-scale iron production, long-distance trade and wide communication networks. Until recently archaeological evidence predating the historically known Kingdom of Dahomey in southern Bénin has been next to non-existent. The situation changed when deep and long drainage channels were dug into the fertile soils at the modern town of Bohicon. In the sides of these channels, rich cultural remains appeared, confirming the assumption that high rates of soil accumulation have caused low archaeological visibility in the forest/former forest belt of West Africa. Geophysical mapping and extensive excavations have revealed two large settlements of 500-600 hectares each, partly overlapping but separated by 2000 years. This paper presents both sites - Sodohomé 1, the earliest site encountered so far in southern Bénin, and Sodohomé 2 (or Sodohomé-Bohicon) which dates to AD 900-1150/1220. Although the first has produced some remarkable results, for instance, an iron spearhead that is the oldest securely dated non-meteoritic iron object in Africa known so far, the focus is on the latter site where evidence demonstrates the existence of a true town with craft specialisation, industrial-scale iron production, long-distance trade and wide communication networks.
SET
Date of Publication
2019
Physical description
95-120
Title
Journal of African Archaeology
Volume Number
17/2
International Standard Serial Number
2191-5784
UNCONTROLLED SUBJECT TERMS
Subject Term
Abomey Plateau
Subject Term
Bénin
Subject Term
earliest iron production
Subject Term
ritual installations
Subject Term
souterrains
Subject Term
urbanisation
PERSONAL NAME - PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY
Inga Merkyte
Klavs Randsborg
Søren Albek
LOCATION AND CALL NUMBER
Call Number
10.1163/21915784-20190012
ELECTRONIC LOCATION AND ACCESS
Electronic name
مطالعه متن کتاب p
[Article]
275578
a
Y
