Protective spirits were summoned to the streets of Maryland's capital hundreds of years ago in ancient African rituals, according to archaeologists who discovered a rare ceremonial relic.
The bundle of metal objects dates back to the early 1700s. It was found earlier this year in the port city of Annapolis—once a node in the African slave trade—and is the only object of its kind to be found in North America.
The dig was commissioned by the city's mayor to commemorate the city's 300th charter anniversary.
The artifact is one of the earliest examples of African spiritual practice in the U.S., researchers say.
"Bundles are found throughout West Africa, and they're usually used to control the spirit world and to influence the supernatural," said lead researcher Mark Leone, an anthropologist with the University of Maryland.
"It's part of a coherent religious structure. It's there for worship as well as invoking protection."
Bundle of Magic
The clay and sand bundle was unearthed about 1,000 feet (305 meters) from the state's capital building. The artifact was under about four feet (1.2 meters) of dirt in what would have been a canal used to channel rainwater into the city's harbor.
The relic measures about ten inches (25 centimeters) tall and six inches (15 centimers) wide. It may not have been obvious to passersby, but it would have been visible, said Frederick Lamp, curator of african art at the Yale University Art Gallery. Lamp was not affiliated with the archaeological dig, but was consulted by Leone to verify the African context.
The bundle's covering was likely cloth but has since disintegrated. Textile fragments in the soil, however, showed evidence that there had been a wrapping, said Lamp.
An X-ray showed that inside the relic is filled with hardware—300 pieces of lead shot, 25 straight pins, and 12 nails. Atop the bundle was a prehistoric stone axhead with the blade pointing upward.
Some of the straight pins were bent at acute angles, Lamp said. "It's obvious they were purposely bent in ritual preparation."
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