The King of Dahomey's Levée
This engraving depicts the king of Dahomey, likely Ahosu Tegbessou (1740-1774), in the Bight of Benin hinterland. The levee, or receptions, shows the king seated on his throne, with female "amazon" soldiers and other members of his royal court. On the right, British visitors and slave traders were being entertained. Archibald Dalzel (1740–1811) was a Scottish governor at Ouidah (1767 -1770) and twice at the Gold Coast (1792-1798; 1800-1802). He advocated against abolitionism and justified slavery because it saved people from the greater evil of being human sacrifices in the kingdom of Dahomey.
Image Title
The King of Dahomey's Levée
RegID
SI-OB-875
Date
1793
Title
The King of Dahomey's Levée
Source
Archibald Dalzel, The History of Dahomey: An Inland Kingdom of Africa (London: T. Spilsbury and Son, 1793), facing p. viii.
Language
English
Item sets
Pre-Colonial Africa: Society, Polity, Culture
Spatial Coverage
Africa--Western Bight
Researchers
Jerome Handler; Michael Tuite; Henry B. Lovejoy Graduate Research Assistants: Tiffany Beebe; Travis May
Last Updated
2007; 28-Aug-19
Identifier
B012