Tag: CT scanning

Medieval Figurines from Koma Land, Ghana, West Africa

Detail of horse or camel rider from Manchester Museum's Fragmentary Ancestors exhibition
Detail of horse or camel rider from Manchester Museum’s Fragmentary Ancestors exhibition

I hope members will forgive me if I momentarily step beyond our usual Yorkshire boundaries to encompass some African archaeological material of a date broadly comparable with the early to mid Medieval period in Britain. The material is so spectacular it seemed churlish not to share it with anyone with an interest in matters Medieval, however specialised.

With little more than a week to go before we open our new temporary exhibition, Fragmentary Ancestors Figurines from Koma Land Ghana, on 25th October there is a real sense of expectation and anticipation building at Manchester Museum.

Work on this project began about a year ago when it was decided to put on an exhibition featuring the results of archaeological fieldwork in Koma Land in Northern Ghana involving the University of Manchester, the University of Ghana and the Ghana Museums and Monument Board.

Head of figurine from Koma Land, Ghana
Head of figurine from Koma Land, Ghana
This exhibition is the first ever officially approved showing of the clay figurines, which were made by a previously little-understood people in Koma Land in Ghana in West Africa. The figurines are often fragmentary and depict stylised two-headed creatures, bird figures, and animals. They are believed to represent the ancestors. It is possible that some had liquid offerings or libations poured into channels in the figurines, and that some might have been linked with healing and medicine. Scanning is now being carried out to study these channels in detail and to try and identify any substances that survive in them.
Terracotta head of man wearing cap from Koma Land
Terracotta head of man wearing cap from Koma Land

The figurines were discovered during archaeological fieldwork directed by Professor Ben Kankpeyeng (University of Ghana) and has involved Professor Tim Insoll (University of Manchester) with the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB). The Koma figurines have been dated to between approximately 500 and 1300 AD.  This corresponds broadly-speaking to the early to mid Medieval Period in Britain.

We don’t know a great deal about how the figurines were used but it would appear that they were used in special ceremonies and rituals in which the spritis of the ancestors were invoked. In the course of these ceremonies the figurines were deliberately broken. Later the fragments buried in mounds, possibly because they were felt to have residual power and had to be disposed of  carefully.

Janus figurine from Koma Land
Janus figurine from Koma Land
As will be clear from the photos the figurines are full of character and have tremendous presence. For that reason the Koma Land figurines have generated considerable interest amongst collectors on the international art market with the result that the mounds where the figurines are found have been looted by treasure hunters. Of course, once removed from their original contexts and localities and the relationship between the objects as archaeological finds destroyed, a huge amount of invaluable information is lost. The GMMB and the University of Ghana have been working with local people to explain to them the cultural importance of the figurines and to support them in protecting the mounds. Though other figurines have been displayed outside Ghana these are the first to be exhibited abroad with the approval of the Ghanaian authorities.

The Fragmentary Ancestors exhibition opens to the general public on 25th October and runs until 5th May 2014. I’d be delighted to offer a tour of the exhibition for members of the Medieval section if we can agree a convenient date for any members who’d like this. Do drop me a line if you’re interested and hopefully we can arrange something

The beautiful photographs for the Fragmentary Ancestors exhibition were taken by Alan Seabright, photographer at Manchester Art Gallery. You can read a transcription of an interview with one of the Ghanaians who played a leading role in the campaign to save the Koma Land figurines on Manchester Museum’s Ancient Worlds blog.