For nearly a century archaeological evidence from West Africa has enhanced and changed our understanding of the region's past. Archaeologists have successfully documented the presence of early humans, food producing societies, and the emergence of iron-producing technology in the region. Archaeology is contributing greatly to our understanding of the rise of complex kingdoms and the expansion of empires. In the greater scheme of West African Archaeology, the archaeology of the Republic of Bénin is rlatively new on the scene, often overshadowed by its neighbours Nigeria and Ghana to the east and west. Nevertheless, significant strides have been made towards an understanding of the Beninese past. Pioneering studies by Beninese archaeologists have been initiated as rescue projects (Adande & Adagba 1988; Adande & Bagodo 1991; Adande & Kuevi 1990; Reference BagodoBagodo 1993), excavation at important historical sites (Adande 1984, 1987, 1989), and the description of ancient remains (Reference IrokoIroko 1989). Increasingly American archaeologists have become interested in the archaeology of southern Bénin.
Precolonial kingdoms located in the modern Republic of Bénin.
A substantial ditch encircled the elite residences at Savi.
This began as a result of the efforts of Merrick Posnansky, Professor Emeritus of History and Anthropology at UCLA, who sought to expand our understanding of the archaeology of the African Diaspora within Africa itself (Reference PosnanskyPosnansky 1984; Posnansky & DeCorse 1986). Following an exploratory visit to Bénin in 1990, and a short-term excavation project at Whydah in 1991, Posnansky has been instrumental in attracting graduate students to Bénin for dissertation research. Notably Kenneth Kelly (Reference KellyKelly 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997a, 1997b, 1999, 2001a, 2001b, 2002, 2004, in press) and students (Reference NormanNorman 2000; Norman & Reference KellyKelly 2004; Reference BrunacheBrunache 2001) have conducted extensive fieldwork at Savi, the capital of the Hueda Kingdom since 1991 (Figure 1). Recently I began a survey and excavation work on the Abomey Plateau, focusing on palace sites in the town of Cana, historic Calmina. These projects, sharing a common interest in the nature of pre-colonial kingdoms and their involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, form what may be properly called an 'American School' of archaeology in Bénin. They are expanding our understanding of the Kingdoms of Hueda and Dahomey dramatically, and are drawing world attention to the rich archaeological heritage of Bénin.
Kenneth Kelly's work at Savi, the old capital of the Kingdom of Hueda, has added significantly to our understanding of the nature of this West African kingdom, and its relationship with the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Kelly surveyed Savi extensively. This survey identified the limits of an expansive town with a population of 75-81 000 people (Reference KellyKelly 1995: 214). Much of Kelly's research has focused on the royal palace at Savi. Drawing from both archaeological and traditional sources, the collapsed walls of the royal palace were identified. A substantial ditch surrounding the royal palace was identified as well, which probably served symbolic rather than defensive functions (Reference KellyKelly 1995; Norman & Reference KellyKelly 2004) (Figure 2).
Kelly's research at Savi has demonstrated the importance played by European trade goods in underwriting the symbolic power of Savi's kings. European goods are relatively common at Savi, yet their distribution is informative. Found in the most public areas of the palace, Kelly suggests that European goods such as tablewares and bricks were used as displays of wealth and prestige. Research conducted at Savi by Peggy Brunache for a master's thesis at the University of South Carolina supports this idea (Brunache 2000). Imported European goods were most densely concentrated within the palace and declined dramatically at commoner residences beyond its walls. The prestige and wealth gained from the slave trade was thus a major factor in Savi's rise to power (Reference KellyKelly 1995, 1997a).
Historic plan of the royal palace at Savi.
The distribution of royal palaces across the Abomey plateau.
Savi thus was a trade town, and its kings sought to control this trade by all means possible. Archaeology has demonstrated that Savi's rulers went to great lengths to control the European trade. Historic plans of the royal palace at Savi indicate that each European nation trading with the Hueda was required to keep a factory adjacent to the royal palace at Savi (Figure 3). European traders were thus kept under close scrutiny. Archaeological research at Savi by Kelly has confirmed the presence of such factories and expanded our understanding of the importance of their spatial relationships (Reference KellyKelly 1995, 1997a, 1997b).
Attention has been placed on documenting and explaining the nature of Savi's pre-colonial material culture as well. Neil Norman has focused particular attention on the modern use of ritual ceramics and their archaeological analogies. In a master's thesis for the University of South Carolina (Reference NormanNorman 2000), Norman identified stylistic continuity between certain classes of modern ritual ceramics, the ceramics described by eighteenth and nineteenth century European travellers, and archaeologically recovered ceramics from Savi. Norman, currently at the University of Virginia, is now conducting PhD research on the monumental earthworks that surround portions of Savi. He is focusing on the possible use of these earthworks for defining social space and forming zones of protection by presenting physical barriers and invoking members of the Huedan pantheon. Norman is also investigating the related countryside communities that surround Savi in order to determine their political, economic, and social relations with the palace centre.
Further to the north, archaeology is beginning to shed light on the nature of political change in Dahomey from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. In 1999, I initiated the Abomey Plateau Archaeological Project. This ongoing project seeks to understand the origins and evolution of the Kingdom of Dahomey from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries (Reference MonroeMonroe 2003, 2004). I sought to understand this process by examining the regional distribution and internal layout of royal palaces sites on the Abomey Plateau. While conducting research for my PhD dissertation at UCLA, I identified fourteen pre-colonial palace constructions ranging in size from approximately four to thirty-four hectares, in addition to the nine royal and princely palaces well documented within Abomey itself (Figure 4).
The modern town limits and royal palaces identified at Cana.
Section of the north wall at Cana-Mignonhi looking west.
The distribution of royal complexes across the Abomey Plateau illustrates the changing nature of political organisation from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. During the seventeenth century, palace construction was focused within the capital city Abomey, reflecting a system of relatively indirect administrative control. During the eighteenth century, palaces were increasingly built upon the major trade route to the coast, contemporary to military and political expansion in that direction. In the nineteenth century, palace construction extended to the east of Abomey. This occurred contemporary to the collapse of the Kingdom of Oyo to the north-east, as well as to the rise in the agricultural export economy. The degree of regional control in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was thus far greater than during the seventeenth, and clearly reflects a growing central administration of coastal-inland trade routes.
The internal layout of these complexes contributes additional perspectives on the nature of royal administration in Dahomey over time. Six royal complexes, all located in the town of Cana, a centrally important town in the history of the kingdom, were intensively mapped (Figure 5). Four of these were active royal residences. Despite the fact that the walls of these palaces were made of coursed mud, and thus have suffered varying degrees deterioration (Figure 6), detailed ground plans of each palace were made (Figure 7). The royal complexes at Cana appear to become internally more complex over the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This is indicated by an overall growth in the number of courts and the clustering of courts into functionally discrete architectural units. I suggest this reflects contemporary expansion of the state bureaucracy as well as transformations in the ideology of political administration. In future seasons of research I plan to continue to explore the palaces and hinterlands of Cana.
Archaeology has a great deal to offer the study of the Beninese past. Current projects have illustrated how a material perspective can shed light on historical questions. The precolonial kingdoms in Bénin are better understood today as a result of archaeological investigation. There is no doubt that future research will continue to illustrate the dynamic nature of the kingdoms of Bénin, as well as the precise nature of their involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Importantly, all of these projects were conducted with the support and cooperation of the government of Bénin and the Department of History and Archaeology at the Université National du Bénin. Additionally, multiple American and Beninese students have participated on the Savi and Abomey Plateau projects. This cooperation must be encouraged and expanded. It is hoped that future work in Bénin by American archaeologists will develop collaborative training projects or 'field schools' so that Beninese students may gain expertise in documenting the rich archaeological heritage found in their own backyards. Such collaborative projects will do much to preserve the archaeological remains of Bénin, as well as foster greater appreciation of their global significance.
The ground-plans of six royal palaces identified at Cana.
