Transformation in the Era of the Atlantic World: the Central Region Project, Coastal Ghana 2007-2008

NYAME AKUMA No. 72 December 2009 GHANA The 2007-2008 CRP field program involved more than three dozen participants including: the principal Transformation in the Era of the investigator and doctoral students from Syracuse Atlantic World: The Central Region University; students and faculty from the University Project, Coastal Ghana 2007-2008 of Ghana and Latrobe University; and volunteers from the United States, Britain, and Canada. The project Christopher R. DeCorse, Greg Cook, also benefited from a Syracuse University archaeo- Rachel Horlings, Andrew Pietruszka, logical field school during July 2007. Undergraduate Samuel Spiers students helped with both the test excavations and field survey. Field work was supported by National Christopher R. N. DeCorse Science Foundation grants and research money from Professor and Chair the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Department of Anthropology Syracuse University. The project was undertaken with Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public the permission of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Affairs Board and was under the overall direction of Syracuse University Christopher R. DeCorse, principal investigator. 209 Maxwell Hall Syracuse, NY 13244 [email protected] Archaeological Site Survey Survey work directed by Sam Spiers focused in the southwestern corner of the project survey area, Introduction particularly the area between the villages of Ampenyi and Ayensudu and the Pra River, south of the coastal This report details archaeological fieldwork highway (Figure 1). This area comes under the juris- conducted in coastal Ghana between May 2007 and diction of three traditional councils: Komenda, Shama February 2008. The research undertaken was part of and Supom-Dunkwa. Villages and towns visited dur- the Central Region Project (CRP), an ongoing pro- ing the survey included Ampenyi, Nsadwer, Dutch gram to examine socio-cultural transformations in Komenda, British Komenda, Aboabo, Aborobeano, African societies, with particular emphasis on trade, Kafodzidzi, Antadu, Aboransa, Apaano, Shama social organization, and technological change dur- Beach, Kwasi Kwaa, Domenase, Krobo, Bosomdo, ing the era of the Atlantic World (e.g. Cook and Spiers Fawomanye, Bronikrom, Asemase, Obinyim Okyena, 2004; DeCorse 2001, 2005; DeCorse et al. 2000). The Bedukrom, Beposo and Supom-Dunkwa. While ef- research aims to complete a systematic survey of fort was made to provide as complete coverage as terrestrial archaeological sites between the Pra River possible, examination of many areas was limited by basin in the west and the Sweet River in the east. dense vegetation, including transitional forest and The project also includes survey of underwater ship- farm bush. Our plan at each village was to meet with wreck sites in target areas off the coast of Elmina, the local chief and elders for permission to survey Komenda, and Shama, and in the Benya Lagoon around their towns, and to ask them if there were any (Elmina). known sites, shrines or other places of interest such as stone outcrops in their area. We then proceeded Central Region Project fieldwork undertaken to investigate these sites, and survey surrounding during 2007 and 2008 consisted of an extensive field farm land and pathways. Cleared areas of farmland, program, including site survey and excavations of construction areas, road cuts, and erosion surfaces both terrestrial and marine sites. Over 360 terrestrial were examined most thoroughly. Construction work archaeological loci were identified and test excava- in some areas, particularly around salt ponds, has tions were undertaken at two sites. Underwater re- severely impacted archaeological sites (Figure 2). search focused on survey work, the excavation of a 19th century shipwreck site at Elmina, study of related The areas surveyed during the 2007-2008 field site formation processes, and the documentation of season had been less fully examined than the eastern probable early 18th century ship remains impacted by portion of the survey area in previous field seasons dredging activities in the Benya Lagoon. (see Cook and Spiers 2004; DeCorse 2001, 2005; 85 NYAME AKUMA No. 72 December 2009 Figure 1: Central Region Project Survey areas. DeCorse et al. 2000) and 364 new loci were identified. lennium AD or earlier into the 17th century. Historic A locus was defined as a place of archaeological or period and largely 19th century artifacts, included historical interest, and varied from individual, iso- glass, European ceramics, tobacco pipes, and beads, lated artifacts such as a pot-sherd or nyame akuma, as well as locally produced artifacts. Several hill top to large high-density artifact scatters, such as some sites include areas identified by local inhabitants as of those found around the lagoons at Ampenyi or sacred groves. Previous fieldwork had indicated that Aborobeano. Loci also included features on the land- at least some of these groves were ancient settle- scape, such as a shrine or an outcrop of granite asso- ment areas, in some cases unrecognized as such by ciated with the production of ground-stone tools. the local population (Chouin 2002a, 2002b, 2008; The majority of the loci recorded in the survey con- Spiers 2007). sisted of isolated finds, though several larger sites and features were also recorded. It should be noted however, that given the limited surface visibility in Komenda Fort Excavations some areas, the extent and distribution of the archaeo- Test excavations directed by Christopher logical materials represented will not be entirely clear DeCorse were undertaken at two locations within the until further work is undertaken. Some of the loci town of Komenda: the British Fort and Komenda Cave. identified may in fact represent portions of large, multi- Of the two locales excavated, more extensive work component occupations rather than discrete settle- was completed in and around the Komenda fort site, ment or activity areas. Sites will be reexamined in a sizable English installation founded in 1686, sub- future field seasons. stantially rebuilt in 1708, and used by the British into th Many of the sites identified consisted of small the 19 century (Lawrence 1963: 288-291; Van Dantzig artifact scatters in cleared farmland, along the beach 1980: 41-44). Excavations in an around the fort were or on hill top sites. Relatively fewer sites consisted undertaken to assess pre-European contact occupa- of denser artifact scatters. The time periods repre- tion of the area, as well as to evaluate the possible th sented varied widely both within and between sites, presence of midden deposits associated with the 17 th ranging from pre-European contact or possible Late through 19 century European fort occupation. Thus Stone Age occupations, through the 19th century. far, European sites in West Africa have received lim- Finds such as quartz flakes, ground stone artifacts, ited systematic archaeological attention and few have gritty orange local ceramics, and stone beads are produced significant assemblages clearly associated characteristic of sites dating from the mid-first mil- with European garrisons. 86 NYAME AKUMA No. 72 December 2009 Figure 2: A pre-18th century site impacted by the construction of salt ponds. The exterior walls of the British Komenda fort pation were identified. Upper levels of the excava- were extensively robbed for stone during the 20th cen- tions proved to be extensively disturbed to a depth tury and traces of many of the walls are only visible of almost 2 m in places and produced few pre-20th at ground level. Nevertheless, the fort’s plan is still century artifacts. This is consistent with oral histo- relatively clear and it closely corresponds to a 1756 ries that indicate that portions of this area housed a map (Lawrence 1963: 289). The fort has a distinctive petrol or kerosene tank during the 20th century. Late floor plan consisting of an inner defensive work en- 19th century burials, possibly Colonial Period, were compassed by a newer and substantially larger forti- exposed both within the fort and to the east. These fication. Of the exterior defenses, the eastern curtain were reburied without complete excavation. wall, along with the associated northeastern and The lower stratigraphic levels of the excava- southeastern bastions remain largely intact; rooms tions proved to be more intact providing evidence of in these walls are, in fact, occupied by squatters. pre-European contact occupation. Gritty orange ce- The northwestern bastion also survives intact, but ramics, stone beads, quartz flakes, and ground stone the adjacent curtain walls are completely gone. An- tools were found in good stratigraphic context below other surviving feature associated with the fort’s early the more recent, disturbed material. This material is history is a vaulted brick cistern, located beneath the typical of assemblages pre-dating the 17th century southern court yard. This is completely intact and and the material provides interesting comparative still used to collect water, although the arched brick data with other early sites excavated on the coast vault of the roof is now exposed at ground surface such as Coconut Grove (DeCorse 2005). and weathering. The southern bastion and eastern curtain wall have traces of several 20th century struc- tures that oral histories indicate were used as the Komenda Cave Excavations chief’s residence into the 1970s. Test excavations were also conducted in Forty 1m by 1 m excavation units were opened Komenda Cave. The cave is located on the ocean clearing portions of the northern fortifications, as shore, west of Komenda town, on the property of well as testing areas to the east and within the fort. Komenda College. The Cave is the largest of a series No intact deposits associated with the English occu- of natural erosional features carved into the sand- 87 NYAME AKUMA No. 72 December 2009 Figure 3: Plan of Komenda Cave showing excavation units. stone along the shore (Figure 3). The site is a tourist Underwater Survey attraction and it is frequently visited by Komenda College students and visitors to the College.

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