SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA—From the early seventeenth to the late nineteenth century, the West African Kingdom of Dahomey, now part of the Republic of Benin, was renowned for its legendary female fighting force known as the Dahomean “Amazons,” who served as soldiers and palace guards. The kingdom was also known for its artistic and aesthetically pleasing swords. Since Dahomean rulers frequently imported luxury goods, including weapons, from European nations, scholars have long speculated whether these distinctive swords were locally made or perhaps custom ordered from foreign sources. According to a statement released by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, a research team recently used noninvasive cutting-edge technology such as neutron tomography and neutron diffraction to determine the origins of six nineteenth-century Dahomean swords. The researchers determined that the swords had all been masterfully crafted by local African smiths, some with completely unique forging techniques that have never been observed elsewhere. These results contradict the assumptions of some historical sources. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Heritage. To read about a port town that the Kingdom of Dahomey conquered in the eighteenth century, go to "Off the Grid: Ouidah, Benin."
