Kintampo Complex

The Kintampo complex, existing between 2500 BCE and 1400 BCE, represents a significant transitional period in West Africa, where pastoralism evolved towards sedentism. Located primarily in the Bono East region of Ghana, eastern Ivory Coast, and Togo, this culture was established by Saharan agropastoralists, distinct from the earlier Punpun foragers. Archaeologically, the Kintampo complex is noted for its open-air villages, rock shelters, and sophisticated stone tools and structures. The presence of polished stone beads, figurines, and distinctive pottery styles underscores a society with complex social structures and artistic expression. The Kintampo people practiced early forms of agriculture, cultivating crops like pearl millet and oil palm, and engaged in animal husbandry. Their cultural legacy is marked by the early domestication of plants and animals, and the emergence of figurative art, offering critical insights into the prehistoric socio-economic transformations in West Africa.