Under the sign of the cross in the kingdom of Kongo: Religious conversion and visual correlation in early modern Central Africa

Fromont, Cécile

doi:10.1086/resvn1ms23647785

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…Several of the grave goods recovered from tombs in the church center, such as swords, sabers, crucifixes, medals, medallions, and jewelry of different kinds, are local symbols of power and wealth and indicate that some of the buried were Kongo people of high rank. Sabers and swords were symbols of chiefly power in the Kongo (Fromont 2011). The Knights of the Order of Christ medallion definitely belonged to a very important person.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…92-93, his figure 14), which we identified as manufactured in the sixteenth or seventeenth century, was discovered in tomb 13 together with one saber, a crucifix, and a gold ring with an inserted diamond (Vandenhoute 1973, vol 2, K61). Three other tombs (12, 14, and 15) contained sabers and swords, famous symbols of power in the Kongo (Fromont 2011). Tomb 12 was a double burial, each individual associated with a sword.…”

Section: Ngongo Mbata Stone Building and Its Immediate Surroundingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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African-European Contacts in the Kongo Kingdom (Sixteenth-Eighteenth Centuries): New Archaeological Insights from Ngongo Mbata (Lower Congo, DRC)

Clist

Cranshof

Schryver

et al. 2015

Int J Histor Archaeol

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ngongo Mbata Stone Building and Its Immediate Surroundingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

African-European Contacts in the Kongo Kingdom (Sixteenth-Eighteenth Centuries): New Archaeological Insights from Ngongo Mbata (Lower Congo, DRC)

Clist

Cranshof

Schryver

et al. 2015

Int J Histor Archaeol

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“…Closely associated with the kimpasi, the cross was used to mark the entrance to the initiation enclosure (de Bouveignes and Cuvelier 1951) or to reinforce the power of an "idol," during ceremonies (Cavazzi de Montecuccolo 1687). In contrast to the Latin cross, in which lines meet three-quarters up the long segment, Cecile Fromont defines the "Kongo cross" as "the intersection of two lines in their middle" (Fromont 2008(Fromont , 2009, as seen in the cave art of Tovo.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Direct Radiocarbon Dating of Lower Congo Rock Art (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

et al. 2013

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ABSTRACT. Lower Congo rock art is concentrated in a region that stretches from Kinshasa to the Atlantic coast and from northern Angola to southern Congo-Brazzaville. Although Lower Congo rock art was identified as early as the 19th century, it had never been a subject of thorough investigation. Presently inhabited by the Ndibu, one of the Kongo subgroups, the Lovo Massif is situated north of the ancient Kongo Kingdom. With 102 sites (including 16 decorated caves), the massif has the largest concentration of rock art in the entire region. In 2008 and 2010, we were able to collect pigment samples directly on the panels of the newly discovered decorated cave of Tovo. Unlike the Sahara and southern Africa, both extensively prospected, rock art of central Africa is still widely unknown and not dated. Radiocarbon dating of rock art in Africa is a real challenge and only a few direct dates have been obtained thus far. After verifying that the pigment samples were indeed charcoal, we proceeded to 14 C date them using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The results indicate dates between cal AD 1480 and 1800, confirming that the occupation of Tovo Cave was contemporaneous with the ancient Kongo Kingdom.

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“…Zoëga & Bolender, 2017: 71) likewise political or material advantage is often a significant motivator for conversion (Fromont, 2011;Graham et al, 2013). Questions of Islamicization ask how Islam came to be accepted and practiced by political leaders and large numbers of their followers.…”

Section: Long Term Settlement: Islam Conversion and Ideological Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

Islamicization Strategies in Kao Ancient Village, North Halmahera

Handoko¹,

Mujabuddawat²,

Whittaker³

2018

kapata

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The Kao Ancient Village settlement site is located in the hinterland of North Halmahera, standing on relatively wet ground flanked by the river Aer Kalak, Ake Ngoali, and Ake Jodo and surrounded by sago and swamp forests. The settlement conditions on the site make it limited for residential space, but a community of Kao people settled in this area for a relatively long period of time between 100-200 years and even recorded in history that Kao region is the main food supplier for Ternate in the past. This research conducted surface surveys and limited excavations, then mapped the areas of artifactual findings, and identified patterns of spatial use by analyzing surface features and artifact scatters. Variety of archeological data both artifacts and oral traditions are then analyzed guided by relevant reference sources. The results show that Kao Site is an advanced settlement and has a significant role as the center of Islamicization in Halmahera. The Kao people settled for a long time in one location supported by water sources and the potential of farming lands making the Kao area a part of bustling trade networks. Kao became part of a strategy in spreading Islam to other inland areas, as well as coastal areas in North Halmahera.

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Under the sign of the cross in the kingdom of Kongo: Religious conversion and visual correlation in early modern Central Africa

Cited by 13 publications

References 0 publications

African-European Contacts in the Kongo Kingdom (Sixteenth-Eighteenth Centuries): New Archaeological Insights from Ngongo Mbata (Lower Congo, DRC)

African-European Contacts in the Kongo Kingdom (Sixteenth-Eighteenth Centuries): New Archaeological Insights from Ngongo Mbata (Lower Congo, DRC)

First Direct Radiocarbon Dating of Lower Congo Rock Art (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Islamicization Strategies in Kao Ancient Village, North Halmahera

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