article
On mentally mapping Greater Asante: a study of time and motion
Journal of African history • 33 (2) • Published In 1992 • Pages: 175-190
By: Wilks, Ivor.
Abstract
What was the extent of Asante authority in the18th and 19th centuries? The Asante had no maps of their empire, the ‘Greater Asante.’ Rather they had a mental map of it as a circle centered on the capital Kumasi and its diameter reckoned in the time it took to travel across it: 42 days, or one Asante month. Wilks examines the Asante road and messenger system, calendar, and European travel accounts, in order to convert travel time into a linear equivalent. Wilk's ultimate interest is in the rationality of Asante administrative practices.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2000
- Region
- Africa
- Sub Region
- Western Africa
- Document Type
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Historian
- Document Rating
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- Analyst
- Ian Skoggard ;1999
- Field Date
- Not Specified
- Coverage Date
- 1730-1881
- Coverage Place
- Ashanti; Ghana
- Notes
- By Ivor Wilks
- Includes bibliographical references
- LCCN
- 63005723
- LCSH
- Akan (African people)