James Cameron Monroe

This report summarizes the outcomes of the Wenner-Gren Engaged Anthropology Grant project carried out in the Republic of Bénin during the summer of 2022. The project represents the culmination of the Abomey Plateau Archaeological Project (APAP), a long-term investigation (2000-2013) into the nature of urbanism, political authority, and regional transformation in the Kingdom of Dahomey during the Atlantic Era (16th–19th centuries AD). The project’s goals were threefold: (1) to return analyzed materials and documentation from the APAP to the Musée Historique d’Abomey; (2) to conduct training workshops for students and faculty at the Université d’Abomey-Calavi; and (3) to share research results with the people of Cana through community outreach coordinated. While artifacts remained in the United States for ongoing conservation planning, training sessions and community visits renewed collaborative relationships, expanded local research capacity, and deepened community engagement with Dahomey’s archaeological heritage.