This paper studies a group of nine Afro-Portuguese ivory objects found in early modern archaeological contexts in southern Portugal. This is the first time ivory artifacts encountered in archaeological excavations have been studied in a way that allows for new conclusions to be made about their social, economic, cultural, and symbolic uses. The archaeological evidence permits us to conclude that, contrary to what has been known till now about these objects, they were not exclusively for display but were actively used and consumed in different Portuguese environments, in contrast to the rest of Europe.
The expression “Afro-Portuguese” was first coined by William B. Fagg in the book Afro-Portuguese Ivories, published in 1959. The combination of these two words designates a wide range of artifacts made from elephant tusks and produced under Portuguese economic and cultural influence in four areas on the western African shores, namely Sierra Leone (Republic of...