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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Gberefu and Agorin sea beach: intensive salt-making sites on the south-west coast of Nigeria
Author:Alabi, Raphael A.ISNI
Year:2000
Periodical:West African Journal of Archaeology
Volume:30
Issue:2
Pages:41-67
Language:English
Geographic term:Nigeria
Subjects:archaeology
salt industry
Abstract:This paper presents the results of the archaeological survey and excavations carried out in 1994 and 1995 at Gberefu and Agorin sea beach sites on the southwest coast of Nigeria. It shows how important oral traditions can be, not only in locating archaeological sites and studying abandoned settlements, but also in the reconstruction of a people's cultural history. According to oral tradition, the people of Gberefu practised saltmaking by boiling ocean water from the 15th century to the 17th century, and this industry reached its peak in the 16th century. The archaeological study confirms this tradition. In addition, it corroborates the tradition of the origin of the people of this area. The pottery recovered from both Gberefu and Agorin sea beach shows close similarities, in terms of decoration, with that of the Republic of Benin, Togo and Ghana, which are places from where the people of this area are said to have originated. Bibliogr., sum. [ASC Leiden abstract]
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