An Archaeology of Elmina: Africans and Europeans on the Gold Coast, 1400-1900
Christopher DeCorse
Smithsonian Press, December 2001
An "Archaeology of Elmina" examines a complex African settlement on the coast of present-day Ghana from the 15th through the 19th centuries using the archaeological record, European narratives, and indigenous oral histories. Placing the site in broader context as the first European trading post in sub-Saharan Africa, Christopher DeCorse explores the developments there in light of Portuguese, Dutch, and British expansion and illustrates remarkable cultural continuity in the midst of technological change.