File:Akan MHNT.ETH.2010.25.034.jpg

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Object

English: Stylized bovid head – Weight for weighing gold dust.
Français :  Tête de bovidé stylisée  – Poids à peser la poudre d’or.
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Title
English: Stylized bovid head – Weight for weighing gold dust.
Français : Tête de bovidé stylisée – Poids à peser la poudre d’or.
Description
English: This peson is a multiple of the weight of the seed of Abrus precatorius (0.14 to 0.19 g) which was used as reference for any weighing. Gold was extremely important in the economic and political life of the Akan kingdoms of southern Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Until the mid-nineteenth century, gold dust was the primary form of currency in the region. In order to measure precise amounts of gold, an elaborate system of weights, usually made of cast brass, developed by the seventeenth century. Beyond the usual function, the weigh of gold, often refer to political power, reproducing in miniature regalia, and some virtues such as wisdom proverbs generally comment. Today, the national currency has replaced the precious metal and the system weight is no longer relevant since the early twentieth century.
Français : Ce peson est un multiple du poids de la graine d’Abrus precatorius (0.14 à 0,19 g) qui servait de référence pour tout pesage. L'or était très important dans la vie économique et politique des royaumes Akan du sud du Ghana et de la Côte d'Ivoire. Jusqu'au milieu du XIXe siècle, la poudre d'or était la principale forme de monnaie dans la région. Afin de mesurer des quantités précises d'or, un système complexe de poids, généralement en laiton coulé, s'est développé au dix-septième siècle. Au-delà de cette fonction usuelle, les pesons d'ors font souvent référence au pouvoir politique, reproduisant en miniature les attributs royaux, ainsi qu’à certaines vertus comme la sagesse que commentent généralement des proverbes. Aujourd’hui, la monnaie nationale a remplacé le précieux métal et ce système pondéral n’a plus lieu depuis le début du XX° siècle.

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Culture
InfoField
Akan
Origin
InfoField
Africa
Date 19th century
date QS:P571,+1850-00-00T00:00:00Z/7
Medium brass on lost-wax casting
institution QS:P195,Q422
English: Collections of ethnology
Français : Collections d’ethnologie
Accession number
MHNT ETH.2010.25.34
Credit line
English: Former collection of French botanist and ethnologist Jean Baur. Donated to the Museum of Toulouse in 2010
Français : Ancienne collection du botaniste et ethnologue français Jean Baur. Don au Muséum de Toulouse en 2010

Photograph

Date

Processing
InfoField
Focus stacking of 3 pictures.
Source Self-photographed
Author Didier Descouens
Permission
(Reusing this file)
I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license:
w:en:Creative Commons
attribution share alike
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
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Under the following conditions:
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Object location43° 35′ 38″ N, 1° 26′ 57.19″ E Kartographer map based on OpenStreetMap.View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMapinfo


Published in the press

Africa Policy Journal 2013-2014 Vol IX archive copy at the Wayback Machine

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43°35'38.00"N, 1°26'57.19"E

43°35'38.00"N, 1°26'57.19"E

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