Gregory Cook

Maritime Archaeology and the Early Atlantic Trade: research at Elmina, Ghana

This article details recent maritime archaeological research off the town of Elmina in coastal Ghana. Founded in 1482, Elmina Castle was the first and largest European outpost in sub-Saharan West Africa, and remained a centre of maritime trade for almost four centuries. Survey and diver investigations led to the discovery of several sites, including a shipwreck dating to the mid 17th century, which is characterized by a mass of trade goods, cannon and buried hull remains. A second Dutch vessel dating to c.1700 was documented after its discovery during dredging operations in the Benya Lagoon adjacent to Elmina. These sites present an opportunity to study ships and cargoes involved in the West African trade.

The Formation of a West African Maritime Seascape: Atlantic Trade, Shipwrecks, and Formation Processes on the Coast of Ghana

Vessels engaged in the Atlantic Trade with West Africa contended with rough seas and dangerous shorelines that offered few natural harbors. To combat this, ships generally anchored offshore in deeper water and used small vessels for trade and communication with trading establishments on shore. While the underwater seascape was a determining factor in navigation, the surface landscape was both fashioned by, and played dramatic roles in, the development of trade and navigation. The intersection of ocean dynamics, dangerous seafloor and shoreline features, and shore-based trading centers formed the maritime seascape of the past, and informs our understanding of it in the present. A shipwreck , other maritime sites, and coastal adaptations for trade in this zone illustrate these interrelated and tenuous relationships and the formation processes of historical maritime trade in Elmina , coastal Ghana .