An African Art Re-Discovered: New Revelations on Sword Manufacture in Dahomey
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 eviden...
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/8/2/62 |
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| author | Ron Lawrence Anderson Filomena Salvemini Maxim Avdeev Vladimir Luzin |
| author_facet | Ron Lawrence Anderson Filomena Salvemini Maxim Avdeev Vladimir Luzin |
| author_sort | Ron Lawrence Anderson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fb28ef011dce4f189a8fefc4681c1801 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2571-9408 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Heritage |
| spelling | doaj-art-fb28ef011dce4f189a8fefc4681c18012025-08-20T03:12:02ZengMDPI AGHeritage2571-94082025-02-01826210.3390/heritage8020062An African Art Re-Discovered: New Revelations on Sword Manufacture in DahomeyRon Lawrence Anderson0Filomena Salvemini1Maxim Avdeev2Vladimir Luzin3Archaeology Department, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, AustraliaAustralian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Lucas Heights, Sydney, NSW 2234, AustraliaAustralian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Lucas Heights, Sydney, NSW 2234, AustraliaAustralian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Lucas Heights, Sydney, NSW 2234, AustraliaAntique 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.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/8/2/62Dahomeynon-invasive analysisneutron diffractionneutron imagingarchaeometallurgyAfrican swords |
| spellingShingle | Ron Lawrence Anderson Filomena Salvemini Maxim Avdeev Vladimir Luzin An African Art Re-Discovered: New Revelations on Sword Manufacture in Dahomey Heritage Dahomey non-invasive analysis neutron diffraction neutron imaging archaeometallurgy African swords |
| title | An African Art Re-Discovered: New Revelations on Sword Manufacture in Dahomey |
| title_full | An African Art Re-Discovered: New Revelations on Sword Manufacture in Dahomey |
| title_fullStr | An African Art Re-Discovered: New Revelations on Sword Manufacture in Dahomey |
| title_full_unstemmed | An African Art Re-Discovered: New Revelations on Sword Manufacture in Dahomey |
| title_short | An African Art Re-Discovered: New Revelations on Sword Manufacture in Dahomey |
| title_sort | african art re discovered new revelations on sword manufacture in dahomey |
| topic | Dahomey non-invasive analysis neutron diffraction neutron imaging archaeometallurgy African swords |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/8/2/62 |
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