To the history of settlement of the Abomey plateau: data of oral and archaeological sources

Taking into account the shortage of the written sources for the study of the history of Benin, the use of oral sources, verified through archaeological research, became the most effective. The archaeological exploration on the Abomey Plateau, carried out in 2020, was intended to confirm the local inhabitants' information previously known and collected during the expedition. The archaeological objects and artifacts found indicate the organization of the international slave trade, which was conducted by the kingdom of Danxome in the XVII-XIX centuries. The sites recorded include the remains of the ancient villages, sanctuaries, slave pens and encampments, and archeometallurgical sites. Local ceramics, iron slag, and also imported smoking pipes and beads are found out among the findings. The cultivated plants preserved there also helped to identify the places of the former settlements.