Asante Gold: sword
- Gallery: Room 25
- Made in: Asante Region
- Date: 1800-1895 (circa)
- Object type: sword, sword-sheath
- Materials: iron; wood; gold; shark skin; antelope skin
- Museum number: Af1900,0427.2.a-c
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
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About this object
This is the "Asante Gold" sword, part of the royal regalia of a paramount chief in the Asante region. You’re looking at a state sword, known as an afena, and its matching scabbard, or boha. The blade is made of iron, while the bar-bell shaped handle is carved wood covered in gold leaf—truly striking up close.
The scabbard is made of shark and antelope skin with a gold disc fastened to it. Both the attached and detached gold discs feature raised centers decorated with intricate parallel lines. These discs were crafted using repoussé, a technique that involves hammering metal from the reverse side to create detailed designs.
The Akrafena swords, like this one, were used in private rituals for the ruler's purification. Unlike the more public bosomfena swords, Akrafena are often unornamented and their scabbards may be whitened with clay. Elders swore allegiance on blades like these, and they were also carried as symbols of authority. This particular sword is associated with Asantehene Agyeman Prempeh I, who was a key figure in Asante history.
See it in person
Asante Gold: sword is on display in Room 25 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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