The first English slave fort in Africa appears to be located in Ghana, according to the BBC.
Per BBC’s report, Archaeologist Christopher DeCorse from Syracuse University is leading the excavation and proudly displaying rare artifacts on a makeshift table near the dig site.
Among the artifacts are a gunflint, tobacco pipes, broken pottery, and the jawbone of a goat, all of which provide valuable insights into the past.
According to DeCorse, these findings suggest the existence of “the first English outpost established anywhere in Africa.”
“Any archaeologist who says they are not excited when they find something are not being entirely truthful,” the professor from Syracuse University in the US says with a broad smile.
The site of the dig, under the blue canopy, is inside Fort Amsterdam built by the Dutch
The excavation takes place in the ruins of Fort Amsterdam, on Ghana’s coastline, where the remains of an older fort named Kormantine are believed to be buried.
The team carefully combs through layers of soil, using soft-bristle brushes and trowels, and sieves the disturbed soil removed from the trenches.
Ancient maps referred to a Fort Kormantine in the area, and the name of the nearby town, Kormantse, is closely related. The fort’s discovery may shed light on the lives of early traders, enslaved people, and their impact on the local community.
Fort Kormantine, built by the English in 1631, played a pivotal role in the early stages of the slave trade.
It started as a trading post for gold and ivory but later became a warehouse for goods used to buy slaves.
Additionally, it served as a holding point for those kidnapped in various parts of West Africa before being transported to the Caribbean for plantation work.
The exact location of Fort Kormantine had been a matter of speculation, but initial digs in 2019 near Fort Amsterdam provided clues.
Recently, during further excavations, the team uncovered a six-meter-long wall, a door post, foundations, and a drainage system made of red brick, indicating an English presence predating the Dutch fort.
The artifacts found at the site, including a rusty gunflint and tobacco pipes with small bowls, align with the early 17th Century timeframe.
“It was mind-blowing, seeing first-hand the remnants, the footprints of an actual building subsumed under a new fort,” says the student from the University of Virginia.
“Seeing the imprints of these external forces in Africa first-hand and being a part of such a dig takes me back a few hundred years, it feels like I was there.”
The presence of a goat jawbone suggests that the English may have domesticated local animals as an additional protein source despite being near abundant fishing grounds.
The work of archaeologists will continue for the next three years, focusing on unraveling Fort Kormantine’s architecture, appearance, and significance to gain a deeper understanding of this historical landmark.