In the northern part of the West African country of Ghana, there are remnants of a mysterious culture. In the absence of written records or oral retellings of the people who once lived here, all that archaeologists have managed to find are rather strange terracotta figurines found in the same places as the ancient mounds that are scattered throughout the region. But these clay artifacts could possibly reveal the long-lost secrets of the Koma people.
Ritual figurines
These curious objects are sculptures of animals and people, although for some reason some have two heads. Many of them have cavities in the nostrils, ears or mouth, the functions of which are still not understood by scientists. There is, however, a suggestion that these figurines were used to store liquids, possibly for ritual purposes. To test this, the researchers decided to try to collect any traces of DNA inside these holes and thus understand what was once stored in them.
DNA analysis
The results, published in the journal Archaeological Science, were impressive and unexpected. DNA is known to be very difficult to extract from objects found in hot, dry conditions, such as the southern Sahara, where the figurines were first discovered. It is generally accepted that after 200 years, DNA degrades to such an extent that it is almost impossible to study it. Nevertheless, a team of scientists managed to find some scraps of it in the clay.
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results
The analysis showed that various plant substances were once stored in the figurines. These include traces of plantain and banana, which are now ubiquitous in most of West Africa. But since the figurines were made around AD 600-1300, these plants have not yet been cultivated in western Africa. In addition, the researchers found traces of a pine that grows only in northern Africa and is unknown in other regions.
Evidence of trade links
This suggests that although we know very little about the mysterious coma culture and little is left of it now, at one time it not only flourished, but also had impressive trade ties that extended both to West Africa and crossed the largest and the hottest desert in the world. In addition, the use of clay figurines in ritual activities in itself shows that the people of the Koma people must have once had a rich culture that was lost in the sands of time.
Anna Pismenna