Ghana has once again captured the world’s attention as news emerged confirming the beginning of the story of slavery in Africa, particularly in Ghana.
Leading an archaeological team, Prof. Christopher DeCorse, an archaeologist from Syracuse University in the United States of America, successfully uncovered the exact location of what is believed to be the first English slave fort in Africa.
The team diligently worked under the ruins of Fort Amsterdam, carefully extracting remains of an older fort called Kormantine. Buried beneath the earth, the long-lost fort has kept the archaeologists busy as they methodically sift through distinct layers of soil, as reported by the BBC.
Among the ruins, the team discovered significant artifacts such as gunflints used in old-fashioned guns, tobacco pipes, broken pottery, and the jawbone of a goat. These findings provide evidence of “the first English outpost established anywhere in Africa.”
Prof. Christopher DeCorse expressed his excitement, stating that any archaeologist who claims not to be thrilled when making such discoveries is not entirely truthful. He announced this pivotal moment in the history of European involvement in Africa during the slave trade era with great enthusiasm.
This archaeological discovery may shed light on the lives of early traders and the activities that took place, as well as the experiences of those who were sold as slaves and the impact on the surrounding community.
According to the report, the slave trade began at the location of Fort Kormantine in 1663 when King Charles II granted a charter to the Company of Royal Adventurers of England Trading into Africa, later known as the Royal African Company. The company was given a monopoly on the trade of human beings.
Two years later, the Dutch seized the fort, but it does not diminish the fact that Fort Kormantine played a crucial role in the early stages of the slave trade.
“We don’t have that many details on exactly what these early outposts of the slave trade looked like, which is one of the things that make uncovering the foundations of Fort Kormantine interesting,” Prof DeCorse added.