Located near the northern edge of the forest in the west of the modern Ghana, Begho was a major trading centre around the middle of the 2nd millennium ad, and by the 5th century a pottery style had been established which appears to be ancestral to that practised into historical times by Akan groups who traditionally trace their origin to this area. It has been shown by excavation that Begho in its heyday was an extensive town, with distinct quarters occupied by artisans and traders. It maintained close trade contact with Jenne near the inland Niger delta, by which route gold derived from the forest areas to the south was exported. Begho was eclipsed around the start of the 18th century by the rise of the Asante kingdom in the gold-producing area itself.
The Macmillan dictionary of archaeology, Ruth D. Whitehouse, 1983Copied