Asante Empire

Asante Empire

historical country

Year dem found am	1670
Continent	Africa
Capital	Kumasi
Coordinate location	5°27′0″N 0°58′0″W
Government ein basic form	absolute monarchy
Date dem dissolve, abolish anaa demolish	1902

De Asante Empire (Asante Twi: Asanteman), dem sanso know as de Ashanti Empire, na ebe an Akan state wey last from 1701 to 1901, insyd wat now be modern-day Ghana. Na e expanded from de Ashanti Region make e include chaw of Ghana den sanso parts of Ivory Coast den Togo. Secof de empire ein military prowess, wealth, architecture, sophisticated hierarchy den culture, na de Asante Empire be extensively studied wey e get more historic records wey European wrep, primarily British, authors dan any oda indigenous culture of sub-Saharan Africa.

Dey start insyd de late 17th century, na de Asante king Osei Tutu (c. 1695 – 1717) den ein adviser Okomfo Anokye establish de Asante Kingdom, plus de Golden Stool of Asante as a sole unifying symbol. Na Osei Tutu oversee a massive Asante territorial expansion, wey he build up de army by he introduce new organisation den dey turn a disciplined royal den paramilitary army into an effective fighting machine. Insyd 1701, na de Asante army conquer Denkyira, wey dey give de Asante access to de Gulf of Guinea den de Atlantic Ocean coastal trade plus Europeans, notably de Dutch. Na de economy of de Asante Empire mainly be based for de trade of gold den agricultural exports as well as slave trading, craft work den trade plus markets further north.

Na de Asante Empire fight chaw wars plus neighboring kingdoms den lesser organized groups such as de Fante. Na de Asante hold dema own against de British insyd de first two of de five Anglo-Ashanti Wars, wey dem kill British army general Sir Charles MacCarthy wey dem keep ein skull as a gold-rimmed drinking cup insyd 1824. Na British forces later burn den sack de Asante capital of Kumasi, however, den dey follow de final Asante defeat for de fifth Anglo-Ashanti War, de Asante empire cam be part of de Gold Coast colony for 1 January 1902. Today, de Asante Kingdom dey survive as a constitutionally protected, sub-national traditional state insyd union plus de Republic of Ghana. De current king of de Asante kingdom be Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. De Asante kingdom be de home to Lake Bosumtwi, Ghana ein only natural lake. Dem dey derive de state ein current economic revenue mainly from trading insyd gold bars, cocoa, kola nuts den agriculture.

Etymology den origins

De name Asante dey mean "secof war". De word dey derive from de Twi word ɔsa wey dey mean "war" den nti wey dey mean "secof". Dis name dey cam from de Asante ein origin as a kingdom dem create make dem fight de Denkyira kingdom.

De variant name "Ashanti" dem cam from British reports wey dey transcribe "Asante" as na de British hear am dem pronounce, as-hanti. Na dem subsequently drop de hyphenation den de name Ashanti remain, plus various spellings wey dey include Ashantee common into de early 20th century.

Formation of Early Akan Settlements

Between de late 10th den 13th centuries CE, na various Akan-speaking groups establish settlements across de forest belt of southern Ghana, wey dey form early communities such as Bono Manso den Begho. Na dese populations engage insyd regional trade wey dey link de forest to de savanna den de sahel. Archaeological den oral evidence dey indicate say na dem create relatively large den dey endure settlements insyd de forest den for ein fringes, dem sustain by farming, hunting, gold production, den ironworking. Among dese early centers, dem dey remember Adanse insyd oral tradition as a foundational homeland, wer chaw Akan clans dey trace dema origins den wer ma core political den spiritual institutions first take root. E be regarded as de first of de five principal Akan states—dem know collectively as de Akanman Piesie Num—wich dey include Adanse, along plus regions wey later go cam turn Akyem Abuakwa, Assin, Denkyira, den Amansie, de area from wich de Asante Empire later go emerge.

Ancestral Settlements den Archaeological Evidence

Insyd 1986, na archaeologist Peter Shinnie undertake excavations for two key sites—Asantemanso den Adansemanso—wey based for dema prominence insyd Asante oral traditions den earlier accounts by R.S. Rattray. Na dem regard both locations as ancestral settlements, wey na de goal of de investigation be make e assess dema historical significance thru archaeological evidence.

Insyd popular culture

Na dem depict de Asante Empire insyd a number of different works of nonfiction, wey dey detail de structure of de empire

Literature den theatre

• De novel The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi (1997) dey based on de memoirs of Kwasi Boachi, de son of de Asantehene Kwaku Dua I, from wen na dem send he den ein cousin Kwame Poku to the Netherlands insyd 1837 make dem receive a European education.
• Na e be later adapted into an opera insyd 2007 by de author Arthur Japin den composer Jonathan Dove
• De 2006 novel Copper Sun ein protagonist Amari dey cam from de Asante Empire.

Literature

• Na dem name de singer Ashanti after de alternative name 'Ashanti empire'. Dis be secof na women get power den influence der, wey na ein mommie wan make she follow dat model.

Television

• Na dem reference de Asante Empire insyd de Static Shock episodes "Static in Africa" den "Out of Africa", wer Static den ein family visit Ghana.

Video games

Na dem depict de Asante Empire insyd sam historical war strategy video games, along plus e be characters insyd video games plus origins from de area

• Insyd de grand strategy video games Europa Universalis IV (2013) den Victoria 3 (2022), na Paradox Interactive develop both, de Ashanti Empire dey appear as one of chaw historical nations wey players fi play as anaa interact plus.
• Insyd Crusader Kings III, de Ashanti Empire be one of de chaw nations wey players fi play anaa interact as.
• Insyd Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, two characters, Kumi Berko, a pirate playable insyd de multiplayer mode under de pseudonym "The Mercenary", den Antó, a Master Assassin of de West Indies Brotherhood, na dem born both insyd de Ashanti Empire.
• De Ashanti Empire dey appear as a playable minor civilization insyd Age of Empires III.

Bibliography

• Boaten, Kwasi (1971). "The Asante Before 1700". Institute of African Studies Research Review. 8 (1): 50–65. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
• Davidson, Basil (1991). African Civilization Revisited. Africa World Press. ISBN 9780865431232.
• Edgerton, Robert B. (2010). The Fall of the Asante Empire: The Hundred-Year War For Africa's Gold Coast. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781451603736.
• Gocking, Roger (2005). The History of Ghana. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-31894-8.
• Obeng, J.Pashington (1996). Asante Catholicism; Religious and Cultural Reproduction among the Akan of Ghana (in English). Vol. 1. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-10631-4.
• Wilks, Ivor (1989). Asante in the Nineteenth Century: The Structure and Evolution of a Political Order. Cambridge University Press Archive. ISBN 9780521379946. Retrieved 2020-12-29 – via Books.google.com.
• Shillington, Kevin (1995). History of Africa. New York: St. Martin's Press.
• Lloyd, Alan (1964). The Drums of Kumasi: the story of the Ashanti wars. London: Longmans. LCCN 65006132. OL 5937815M.
• Gadzekpo, Seth K. (2005). History of Ghana: Since Pre-history. Excellent Pub. and Print. ISBN 9988070810. Retrieved 2020-12-27 – via Books.google.com.
• McCaskie, T. C. (2003). State and Society in Pre-colonial Asante. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521894326.
• McCaskie, T. C. (2007). "Denkyira in the Making of Asante c. 1660–1720". The Journal of African History. 48 (1): 1–25. Retrieved 24 April 2025.

Read further

• Konadu, Kwasi; Campbell, Clifford C. (2016). The Ghana Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Duke University Press. ISBN 9780822359845. Retrieved 10 May 2025.

External links

• the Ashanti Kingdom Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
• UC San Diego - Asante Language Program - Directed Study
• BBC News | Africa | Funeral rites for Ashanti king
• "Osei Tutu", Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
• Asante Catholicism at Googlebooks
• Ashanti Page at the Ethnographic Atlas, maintained at Centre for Social Anthropology and Computing, University of Kent, Canterbury
• Ashanti Kingdom at the Wonders of the African World, at PBS
• Ashanti Culture contains a selected list of Internet sources on the topic, especially sites that serve as comprehensive lists or gateways
• The Story of Africa: Asante — BBC World Service
• Web dossier about the Asante Kingdom: African Studies Centre, Leiden
• "Asante empire", Encyclopædia Britannica.