Object Details
- Description
- These brass weights were used by the Akan people of modern day Ghana and the Ivory Coast for measuring gold dust between the late thirteenth and early twentieth centuries. They were cast into geometric shapes and figures of animals and people. These weights set a standard for measuring gold dust and made it easier to use gold dust as currency. The weights’ varied forms reflect Akan culture as well as cultural interaction between West African, North African, and European traders over five centuries.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- date made
- n.d.
- Credit Line
- Marjorie A. Cope
- Physical Description
- brass (overall material)
- brass (overall color)
- cast (overall production method/technique)
- Measurements
- overall: 3.82 cm x 2.13 cm x 2.48 cm; 1 1/2 in x 27/32 in x 31/32 in
- Object Name
- Gold Weight Bird in Flight
- alternative currency
- Other Terms
- Gold Weight Bird in Flight; Africa; West, Ashanti
