Adansemanso
Adansemanso or Adansimanso was a historic Akan settlement located in the Adanse area of present-day Ashanti Region, Ghana. It is frequently cited in Akan oral traditions and historical records as one of the early urban centres of the Akan world, alongside towns such as Bono Manso and Begho. The site served as the first political and ritual capital of the Adanse state in the Adanse–Amansie region and is associated with the formation of early Akan states. Archaeological investigations in the 1990s confirmed it was a large, complex town, first occupied as early as the 9th to 10th century CE and reaching its peak in size, architectural development, and complexity between the 13th and 15th centuries CE.
History
Oral traditions and origins
Oral traditions recorded in the Adanse area describe Adansemanso as the first settlement "made" by Odumankoma after his departure from Akrokerri, and the foremost among the Akanman piesie nnum. The site lies approximately 1 kilometre west of Old Edubiase and about 8 kilometres east of Akrokerri. Tradition holds that Ewuarde Basa, the town's founder, emerged from a hole in the ground accompanied by his spokesperson, Ōkyɛame Ōkwame Nfrafo, and bore the sacred sword known as Afena Kwa. From Adansemanso, Basa ruled over Adanse until his unpopular rule, marked by tyranny and heavy-handedness, led subjects to criticize him indirectly. The saying "Yekasa Nfrafo, nso yene Awirade" refers to this period.One version of the oral tradition places the centralization in the 16th century, when Awurade Basa sought to unite the Adanse clans through the creation of the Afenakwa, a mystical sword conferring wartime leadership but no peacetime privileges. Another account, drawn from the same broader tradition but differing in date, situates the process in the first half of the 17th century, portraying Adanse as the most important state within a loose Akan confederation led by the Asenee clan, whose authority was reinforced by the shared worship of the deity Bona. A further version emphasizes that after Awurade Basa's death, Adansemanso's authority fragmented into smaller autonomous states, including Ayaase, Dompoase, Edubiase, and Fomena.
Decline and conquest
During the seventeenth century, the expanding Denkyira state exerted growing pressure on Adanse, eventually defeating it in the latter part of the century. In the aftermath, political cohesion collapsed and the former Adanse territories were incorporated into the Denkyira realm. Segments of Adanse clans migrated to establish or strengthen other Akan polities, taking with them elements of Adansemanso's political structures and religious practices.Society
Adansemanso was the political and ritual centre of the Adanse state during periods of centralization. Governance was clan-based. The afenakwa and the worship of the deity Bona at Patakoro was the main unifying institution. The Bona priesthood oversaw annual festivals, including a yam festival in August or September and a year-end dance, during which sacred water from the Bona cave was distributed for purification.Archaeology
Discoveries
Adansemanso was investigated in the early 1990s as part of the Asante Archaeological Research Project. Located about 30 kilometres south of Kumasi in the Adanse–Amansie area, the site is identified in oral tradition as one of the Akanman piesie nnum.Test excavations in 1991 revealed red-burnished ceramics, iron-working debris, and other evidence of a large settlement. Radiocarbon analysis of multiple samples placed the main occupation between the 13th and 15th centuries CE. The finds confirm long-term occupation predating the 16th century, with no clear evidence of substantial later occupation.The lack of imported material, only three local pipes, one imported kaolin pipe, and two small imported sherds, supports this dating and matches with nearby 18th and 19th century sites where the artefacts are common.
Excavations also identified asensie sites, ceremonial areas linked to the commemoration of the dead, which contained pottery vessels, unidentified objects, and terracotta heads similar to those found at Ahinsan and Twifo Heman. Once sacred, many of these sites have lost their ritual significance, with some built over by modern structures.