Beads As Chronological Indicators in West African Archaeology: a Reexamination

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers Volume 1 Volume 1 (1989) Article 6 1-1-1989 Beads as Chronological Indicators in West African Archaeology: A Reexamination Christopher R. DeCorse Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/beads Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons, History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, Science and Technology Studies Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Repository Citation DeCorse, Christopher R. (1989). "Beads as Chronological Indicators in West African Archaeology: A Reexamination." BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers 1: 41-53. Available at: https://surface.syr.edu/beads/vol1/iss1/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by SURFACE. It has been accepted for inclusion in BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers by an authorized editor of SURFACE. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Beads as Chronological Indicators in West African Archaeology: A Reexamination Cover Page Footnote The author would like to thank Elizabeth Harris, Adam Jones, Karlis Karklins, David Killick and Merrick Posnansky for providing comments on different aspects of this research. This article is available in BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers: https://surface.syr.edu/beads/vol1/ iss1/6 BEADS AS CHRONOLOGICAL INDICATORS IN WEST AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGY: A REEXAMINATION Christopher R. DeCorse Drawing primarily on data obtained from recent excava life spans of the beads that they recover in archaeo tions at Elmina, Ghana, this report examines the potential logical and ethnographical contexts. Even in North use of beads as temporal markers in West African archaeo America, where a great deal more research has been logy. It is argued that although beads from West-African undertaken, the dating of European beads of the past contexts are difficult to date, they provide more information 500 years is problematic. However, the importance of than has previously been suggested. The Elmina beads are of particular interest as they can be closely dated by asso beads was well established in West Africa long before ciated European trade materials. Preliminary results from the arrival of the Eu,ropeans on the coast at the end of the analysis of the 30,000 European and locally-made glass the 15th century A.D. Bone, ostrich-shell and metal beads are discussed and findings from other West-African beads have been recovered from many Late Stone Age sites are evaluated. and Iron Age contexts, and there appears to have been a trade in stone beads in the western Sudan by the first millenium A.D. (e.g., Connah 1981: 194-195; Mcin INTRODUCTION tosh and Mcintosh 1980: 162; 1986: 430). In 1972, Lamb and York wrote an article entitled Glass beads found their way to West Africa prior "A Note on Trade-Beads as Type-Fossils in Ghanaian to the 15th century via the trans-Saharan trade with Archaeology." (Lamb and York used the term "type North Africa (Fig. 1) and some indication of their fossil" to suggest the possible use of beads as temporal importance in West Africa can be found in the writ markers. In a strict palaeontological sense, "type fos ings of Arab travelers of the 12th to 14th centuries sil" refers to a taxonomic exemplar and connotes no (Levtzion and Hopkins 1981: 128, 130, 169, 179, chronological sensitivity.) Although the focus was on 287). The trans-Saharan trade was well developed by Ghanaian beads, their comments had implications for medieval times but most likely existed much earlier, the entire West African region. The authors had a if only on a limited basis. Depictions of chariots in bleak opinion concluding that "the usefulness of glass Saharan rock art and occasional documentary refer beads as type-fossils in archaeological contexts is ences suggest that some contact probably occurred minimal" (Lamb and York 1972: 109). In light of during the 1st millenium B.C. (e.g., Garrard 1982: almost two decades of research, a review of Lamb and 444-446). It is likely that the advent of the camel in York's conclusions is appropriate. While the dating of the 1st or 2nd century A.D. greatly facilitated trans West African beads does pose special problems, re Saharan transport and the origins of a regular trade search outside of Africa and recent excavations at may be traced to this period. Because of these early Elmina, Ghana, suggest they perhaps hold more contacts, the mere presence of glass beads does not promise than was previously thought. provide an immediate temporal marker for the age of European expansion. DATING WEST AFRICAN BEADS While beads and other trade items undoubtedly reached West Africa in significant quantities before The major problems faced by researchers in West the arrival of the Europeans, positive identification Africa are the potentially great ages and the extended and dating of these materials is often difficult within BEADS 1:41-53 (1989) 42 \<~~~:.. · I I' I I I I I I ...... ......... .e'Ghat I I I' TRANB-SAHARAN , ~ TRADE ROUTES \ EUROPEAN SEA ROUTES 0 1000 km ~ Figure 1. Map of West Africa (see Macintosh and Mcintosh 1980: 70; Garrard 1980: 33) (drawing by D. Kappler). 43 an archaeological context. The site of Igbo-Ukwu, 1982; Wray 1983). Early New-World trade beads such Nigeria, excavated by Thurstan Shaw between 1959 as the Nueva Cadiz plain and twisted types have been and 1964, illustrates the difficulties. Actually three noted in non-archaeological contexts in Mali (Eli discrete areas designated lgbo-Richard, Igbo-Isaiah zabeth Harris 1989: pers. comm.). and Igbo-Jonah, the site yielded a spectacular assemb The occasional beads recovered from other proto lage of bronze, copper and iron objects, and over historic West African sites have proven equally un 150,000 glass beads. Chronology was principally pro helpful as chronological indicators (e.g., Mauny vided by five radiocarbon dates (Shaw 1970: 259-262; 1949a; Mcintosh and Mcintosh 1980: 164; cf. Sutton 1975). Four of these dates cluster in the 9th and 10th 1982: 414). As Lamb and York (1972: 110; cf. Lamb centuries A.D., while the fifth was 505±70 B.P ., 1969; 1971; 1978; Shaw 1961: 74-79) noted, the long which provides a calibrated date in the 14th or 15th ancestries of some beads make it difficult in some century A.D. The early determinations were ques cases to positively separate beads of 4th-century Ro tioned as being too old, and Lawal (1973) contended man origin from those of 17th-century Dutch manu that the presence of manillas and the large number of facture. glass beads argued for a much later, post-European The confusion between pre- and post-European contact date (Posnansky 1973: 310; cf. Shaw 1975). beads is complicated by the fact that the first Euro However, more evidence for long distance trade in the pean traders on the coast probably made a conscious Sahel during the first millenium A.D. and three new effort to offer items for which there was already a dates from Igbo-Ukwu tend to support Shaw's original demand. Their arrival did not create new trade pat ca. 9,th-century assessment (Mcintosh and Mcintosh terns, but utilized and expanded existing networks. 1986: 433-434; Posnansky 1980). However, trade was increasingly redirected away It is frustrating that the beads were not helpful: in from the long-established trans-Saharan trade toward resolving the controversy. Most are simple mono the new frontier of opportunity provided by such coas chromes, and others bear at least a superficial simi tal sites as Lagos, Whydah and Elmina. A greater larity to European imports that could have reached variety and quantity of goods was offered, including West Africa by the end of the 15th century (i.e., an increasing number of bead types. However, as Shaw's types Wand X). The bead distributions varied Shaw (1975: 510) pointed out in his discussion of the between the three areas, possibly supporting the sug Igbo-Ukwu material, not enough is known about trade gestion that they are not contemporaneous. Chemical patterns during the relevant centuries to be certain analysis of the beads was of some help in identifying which bead types were introduced at particular times. their origin. Shaw ( 1970: 259) initially suggested that It is possible that at least some of the beads arriving they were largely of Indian or possibly Venetian via the trans-Saharan trade and early European trade manufacture. However, neutron activation and x-ray beads were from the same sources. fluorescence analysis indicated that a Near-Eastern or There are references in European documents re Islamic origin was more likely if the beads were ca. garding the importance of beads in West African so 9th century in age, while Near-Eastern or European cieties. However, these references are of little origins were equally likely if they dated to the 15th practical use in dating examples recovered archaeo century (Davison 1972: 311 ). On the basis of their logically. Terms such as madrigettes, paternosters, similarity to beads from lngombe Bede, Zambia, Shaw contoir-teeckens, olivetjes, and aheyne coffe are diffi (1970: 259) used the beads to support the 9th-~entury cult to equate with specific bead varieties (e.g., Bos date. However, the lngombe Bede beads, initially be man 1967: 120; de Marees 1987: 34, 53-56, 80; lieved to date to the 9th century, are now known to Hemmersan 1983: 109; Muller 1983: 204-206, 214; date to the 14th or 15th century (Phillipson and Fagan Van Dantzig 1978: 82). Adam Jones and Albert Van 1969). It is notable that the collection is not com Dantzig have noted that the majority of European parable to assemblages from 16th- and 17th-century .

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