Dahomey

Dahomey was a kingdom in present-day Benin, West Africa, which rose to power from the seventeenth century. Its rulers commanded a strong army and gained wealth through captives, enslaved labour and the Atlantic slave trade.

At Abomey, the Annual Customs brought together tribute, royal ceremony and military display. The king's female regiments, called Amazons by European observers, made a powerful impression in their weapons and dress.

The ceremonies also included human sacrifices offered to deceased rulers. Accounts of the Attoh ritual describe bound victims thrown from a raised platform to executioners below. Royal power and beliefs about serving ancestors came together in these violent events.

Visitors sometimes exaggerated the numbers, but the practice itself is documented. Portraits, military scenes and ceremonial clothing show other sides of a kingdom whose public appearance was carefully designed to impress subjects and outsiders alike.