An Archaeobotanical Investigation of Excavated Sediments from Ketu South, Ghana.

Abstract

This thesis examined the plant-human interactions in Ketu South, a coastal area in the Volta Region of Ghana. The study combined archaeobotanical methods (flotation, microscopic analysis, and a seed reference collection) with ethnographic and archival data, in addition to a review of scholarly works, to recover, identify, and analyze botanical remains. The study provided a long-term history of plant use in the study areas of Hedzranawo, Denu, and Viepe. Archaeobotanical evidence of local and foreign crops revealed contacts between Europeans and Ketu South inhabitants and how these crops shaped the area’s food systems and crop management practices. The introduction and spread of crops were shaped by trade, missionization, migration, colonization, and globalization. The study also revealed the past use of foreign crops dating back to their earliest settlement periods. The recovery of abundant macrobotanical remains such as baobab, maize, oil palm, chili peppers, watermelon, and pawpaw shows they were popular food crops in the Ketu South area. These taxa were important food crops cultivated to overcome food scarcity during their early settlements. While macrobotanical remains of oil palm and baobab evidenced plant domesticates, weeds like Hibiscus trionum revealed the past vegetation of the area. Foreign crops like wheat and cotton show they were cultivated for experiment due to their unsuitability to the area’s vegetation and environment. Evidence of several Meso- and South American crops is linked to European contacts. Archaeobotanical analysis of seed and fruit remains recovered from seven sites detailed the food histories and cultures of Ketu South. This archaeobotanical study has provided evidence to support previous archaeological and ethnographic studies done on dietary patterns, food systems, and crop management practices of early local settlers of these sites. In all, archaeobotanical data from the study areas provide insights into plant use and crop management in historic times and what may be the earliest proof of crop diffusion and exchange among local food producers and Europeans.