An Archaeological and Ethnohistorical Appraisal of the Nyarko Quarter in Begho, Ghana

The focus of this study is the reconstruction of the socioeconomic and cultural lifeways of the settlers of the Nyarko Quarter, one of six quarters of ancient Begho, a prominent market centre which had extensive commercial links with the great Sudanic empires of Mali and Songhai. Evidence also indicates vibrant commercial interactions with the neighbouring communities of Debibi, Bono Manso and Nsawkaw, as well as polities located further south in the forest belt. Data for this research were derived primarily from surface surveys, archaeological excavations, early European and Arabic sources and ethnohistorical narratives of the people of Hani who currently inhabit the Begho site. This study reveals that trade and iron smelting were the linchpins of the local economy. Farming, weaving, carving and hunting constituted other notable economic strategies undertaken by the people.