A Preliminary Archaeological Investigation Of Mountain Agbenu, Abutia, Ghana

ABSTRACT

This thesis presents the result and interpretation of the preliminary archaeological investigation conducted at the Agbenu Mountain in the Kalakpa Resource Reserve, an abandoned settlement of the contemporary people of Abutia. Drawing on the oral traditions, archaeology and ethnographic data, the study enriched information on the migration history and lifeways of the Ewe people at Abutia. It revealed that by the 15th Century there was human occupation of the area. Additionally, the thesis also laid bare the interaction between the ancient settlers of Abutia with the Akwamus and Germans in the 18th and 19th Century respectively. Remnants of material cultures such as the German building and mango alley, and the cultural practices of the Asafo attested to these influences.

Furthermore, excavated materials recovered from the Agbenu Mountain helped to determine the local resources available in the area and how the settlers made use of those resources. Data from the study also communicated some of the practices of the Abutia people during their stay at the Agbenu Mountain. Again, a laboratory-based analysis of the charcoal sample gathered from the study area which dates the site to the 15th Century predates the date given to the Ewe migration story from Notsie, which was the 17th Century. This study encourages more exploration on the chronology of the Abutia migration and settlement in Ghana.