book chapter

Brilliance beneath the trees: the West African forest and its fringes

African civilizations : precolonial cities and states in tropical Africa : an archaeological perspectiveCambridge [Cambridgeshire] • Published In 1987 • Pages: 121-149

By: Connah, Graham.

Abstract
This overview of the West African Regional Development makes use of historical accounts and data from archaeological sites in Ghana and southern Nigeria (Akan states, Old Oyo, Ife City, Benin City, and Igbo-Ukwu) to extrapolate what likely was happening in the rest of West Africa. The discussion of state development and urbanization in the West African forest stresses how they pre-date European contact. The author also covers geography, environmental setting, subsistence, specialized technology (e.g. iron smelting), bronze work, terracotta sculpture, gold mining, increasing social stratification in many areas, population growth, religious beliefs and their role in the rise of some states, and long-distance trade (including throughout Africa and with Europe).
Subjects
Culture summary
Flora
Tillage
Land use
Nonferrous metal industries
Urban and rural life
Production and supply
External trade
Occupational specialization
Territorial hierarchy
Cities
Prayers and sacrifices
tradition
West African Regional Development
Region
Africa
Sub Region
Western Africa
Document Type
book chapter
Evaluation
Creator Type
Archaeologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Sarah Berry; 2022
Field Date
1960s
Coverage Date
800-1507 AD
Coverage Place
West Africa
Notes
Graham Connah ; drawings by Douglas Hobbs
LCCN
86032745
LCSH
West African Regional Development