Castle Cormantine, founded in 1632 on the coast of what is now modern Ghana, was England’s first outpost in Africa. Occupied for little more than three decades before its capture by the Dutch, the fort nonetheless played a key role in shaping African—European interactions and the nascence of the Atlantic slave trade. In time, the name Cormantine or Coromantee became synonymous with slaves from the entire Ghanaian coast throughout the English-speaking colonies of the Americas, and the name resonates down to the present day. Castle Cormantine is an iconic symbol of a trade that brought millions of enslaved Africans to the Americas. In a well-illustrated lecture, Professor Christopher DeCorse (Syracuse University) will tell the story of Castle Cormantine’s rediscovery, continuing threats to its preservation, and its lasting legacies.
This event is sponsored by the Ohio State University Department of Classics, Denision University Department of Ancient Greek and Roman Studies, Denison University Department of Anthropology, and the Archaeological Institute of America.
