An African Art Re-Discovered
New Revelations on Sword Manufacture in Dahomey
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13125225 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Richard Anderson (0000-0002-7283-7219, The University of Sydney), F Salvemini (0000-0002-6131-7859, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, corresponding author), Maxim Avdeev (0000-0003-2366-5809, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation), Vladimir Luzin (0000-0003-2635-6921, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 62-62 |
| Publication date | 2025-02-07 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Heritage (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2571-9408 • E-ISSN: 2571-9408 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/heritage8020062 |
| OpenAlex | W4407241043 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 17 |
Antique swords from the pre-colonial West African kingdom of Dahomey are aesthetically unique, but they also have many design features inspired by swords from Europe, the Islamic world and elsewhere. As the kingdom was famous for importing luxury European objects, this study aimed to pinpoint evidence of Dahomean sword composition and manufacture to determine scientifically whether they were being made in Dahomey, or imported. An inter-disciplinary team made up of historical archaeologists and neutron scientists examined six 19th century Dahomean swords, using a non-invasive multi-methodological approach based on neutron tomography, powder diffraction full pattern analysis and diffraction residual stress measurements. The findings suggest that, despite their foreign design influences, not only were these striking heritage objects made in Africa, they may also have been likely made from locally smelted iron–something that contradicts the assumptions of the few existing historical reports. This has important implications for studies on the kingdom, and also helps to further the long-standing debate surrounding European iron imports—not just within Dahomey, but throughout the wider West African region
Ancient history · Antique · Archaeology · Colonialism · Geography · Iron Age · Islam · SWORD · Archaeological Research and Protection · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Engineering · History · Metallurgy and Cultural Artifacts
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |