Aspects of early West African trade

Abstract

Abstract The evidence for early West African trade is reviewed. The development of trade is regarded as gradual from c. 1000 B.C. to c. A.D. 750. The early exploitation of gold resources was reflected in the affluence of the Senegambian and upper Niger regions with their large tumuli and megaliths. Reservations are expressed about the ninth‐century date proposed for Igbo Ukwu. A major expansion of trade occurred in the fourteenth century and was due to the exploitation of Ghanaian gold. Contacts between Mali and Ghana led to the development of a sophisticated brass technology and the use of Islamic weighting system amongst the Akan peoples. The results of excavations at the market town of Begho in Ghana, where the main settlement dates from A.D. 1350–1725, are reviewed. The evidence for local trade in pottery is discussed and the importance of intensive work on traditional potters is stressed.