The Role of Trade in the Political Economy of the Kanem-Borno Empire: New Archaeological Evidence

The Kanem-Borno Empire, one of the longest-lived and most historically documented political formations in African history, maintained its economic and political power over more than a millennium in part through its strategic positioning within trans-Saharan trade networks, yet the archaeological dimensions of this trade economy remain significantly underexplored relative to the documentary historical record. This study examines new archaeological evidence for trade in the political economy of Kanem-Borno, drawing on material assemblages recovered from survey and limited excavation at three sites in Borno State selected to represent different positions within the imperial hierarchy: the capital area at Old Maiduguri, a secondary administrative centre, and a peripheral rural site. Assemblages at all three sites were analysed for imported material categories including glass beads, cowrie shells, copper alloy objects, and imported ceramics, with quantification expressed as proportions of total assemblage volume and plotted against site rank. Results show a pronounced positive correlation between site rank and imported material frequency, consistent with a tributary redistribution model in which prestige imports were channelled through the capital and selectively distributed to lower-order sites as instruments of political alliance. The diversity of import types at the capital site, including glass bead varieties traceable to Islamic, Indian, and European production zones through comparative typological analysis, suggests broad commercial connections across the trans-Saharan network. These findings contribute an archaeological dimension to the historical political economy literature on Kanem-Borno. Keywords: Kanem-Borno, trade, political economy, trans-Saharan commerce, Borno State.