Gold weight in the form of a Human Male Head at The British Museum, London

Lost wax cast figurative goldweight in brass, in the form of a human male head with tufts of hair. Hatch lines demarcate the eyebrows, eyeholes and the mouth which is shown open. Single hatch lines also decorate the edges of the head and face and cross marks (scarification?) are located on each cheek. Two protruding spikes emerge from either side of the mouth (the hilts of sepow knives?). There is a suspension loop at the top of the head and the underside is concave in shape and hollow. The traditional practice of beheading men of high status on the battlefield and in captivity following conflict is recorded in historical accounts of the Gold Coast such as Bowdich 1819 and Dupuis 1824. Trophy heads were bound to the hilts of swords, to stools and other paraphernalia and displayed in public processions during the pre-colonial period (pre-1896). This weight may represent the head of chief Worosa or Adinkra both of whom died as a result of armed conflict with the Asante in the early ninteenth century. Sacrificial victims and criminals traditionally had small knives (sepow) inserted through the cheeks and lips prior to death to prevent them from speaking. This object is part of Scan The World. Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email [e-mail] to find out how you can help.Scanned : Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)该藏品为失蜡法铸造的黄铜制写实头像式黄金砝码，造型为带有绺状毛发的男性人头。纹饰以排线勾勒眉毛、眼窝与张开的嘴部轮廓；头部与面部边缘亦以单排线纹装饰，两侧脸颊带有十字形印记（疑似瘢痕纹）。嘴部两侧各伸出一枚突出尖状物（疑似sepow刀（sepow knife）的刀柄）。头顶设有悬挂环，器底呈内凹中空形态。 据黄金海岸（Gold Coast）地区1819年鲍迪奇（Bowdich）与1824年迪皮伊（Dupuis）的历史记载，战前俘获或战场斩杀高阶男性的传统习俗曾见于史册。殖民时代前（1896年之前），战利品头颅会被绑缚于刀剑刀柄、凳具及其他随身器物之上，并在公共游行中展示。这件砝码或为沃罗萨（Worosa）酋长与阿丁克拉（Adinkra）酋长的头颅，二者均于19世纪早期与阿散蒂（Asante）的武装冲突中殒命。传统上，献祭受害者与罪犯会在死前以sepow小刀（sepow knife）贯穿脸颊与唇部，以阻止其发声。 该文物隶属于"扫描全球"（Scan The World）项目。"扫描全球"是MyMiniFactory发起的非营利性倡议，旨在搭建覆盖全球的可3D打印雕塑、艺术品与地标建筑数字化档案库，供公众免费获取使用。本项目为开源社区协作项目，若您身边有可供贡献的趣味藏品，可发送邮件至[e-mail]了解参与方式。本藏品采用摄影测量法扫描（使用Agisoft PhotoScan软件处理）。