The Killing Age

The Killing Age

Ch4.4. King Duke

Photograph of West African warlord, ca. 1890. Western guns were important sources of African power.

back to images & maps Ch4.4. King Duke King Duke, Old Calabar, ca. 1890. Private Collection. The eighteenth century and throughout much of the nineteenth century was the age of warlords. There was a proliferation of these historical figures along the West African coast in the era of the Atlantic slave trade. Some prospered, even […]

Ch4.2. William Corrantee

Illustration of the son of a famous West African warlord who was himself enslaved then freed.

back to images & maps Ch4.2. William Corrantee William Corrantee The eighteenth century and throughout much of the nineteenth century was the age of warlords. There was a proliferation of these historical figures along the West African coast in the era of the Atlantic slave trade. Some prospered, even if their lives were often uncertain. […]

Ch4.1. “Seh-Dong-Hong-Beh”

Illustration of the famous "Amazons", female warriors from the Kingdom of Dahomey. The warrior is armed with a musket.

back to images & maps Ch4.1. “Seh-Dong-Hong-Beh” Ch4.1. “Seh-Dong-Hong-Beh.” Amazon Warrior from Dahomey. British Library. The so-called “Amazons” from the Kingdom of Dahomey are one of the few examples of a mostly female fighting force. Many were slaves or former slaves, not serving the Dahoman king. While we do not have the exact dates of […]

Ch 2.2. Funerary screen with European ship

From Nigeria during the nineteenth century, this funerary screen shows how Western commerce shaped African history.

back to images & maps Ch2.2. Funerary screen with European ship Funerary screen with European ship, Kalabari, nineteenth century, Nigeria. Europeans brought fantastic and fantastical goods to Africa’s shores. Imagine the holds of their ships filled with bolts of cotton, beaver felt, silk, porcelain, alcohol, and weapons, to name just a few. These goods profoundly […]

Ch 1.5 Dyak musket ball holder

This Dyak Musket ball holder showing fearsome face demonstrates incorporation of Western weapons into non-Western art.

back to images & maps Ch1.5. Dyak musket ball holder Dyak musket ball holder Everywhere, indigenous peoples incorporated Western arms into their arts and crafts. The adoption of guns was a revolutionary development, and for many peoples they possessed magical powers. In this image, you can clearly see two musket balls. 

Ch 1.4 East India Dock

Illustration of the East India Dock along Thames River, London, operated by the East India Company. Shows the importance of commerce from Indian Ocean.

back to images & maps Ch1.4. East India Dock. East India Dock. London was the “capital of capital,” and much of this was related to volume of goods moving up the Thames. Shipping required dockage as well as the more mundane work of simply regulating river traffic. Building the East India Docks was a major […]

Ch 1.2 “Ruins of Ratcliffe”

Illustration of aftermath of explosion in London, 1794, from saltpeter.

back to images & maps Ch1.2. “Ruins of Ratcliffe” “Ruins of Ratcliffe,” 1794. British Library. Saltpetre (saltpeter), or potassium nitrate, is a white crystal that easily dissolves in water. It has a wide range of industrial uses, but it is most famous for being the primary component of gunpowder. Saltpetre is highly combustible, which means […]