Person

Thomas Bowdich

visited Kumasi 1817 · 19th century

Thomas Bowdich was an English traveller and writer who visited Kumasi, the Ashanti capital, as a British envoy in 1817. His published account is a major early European source on the Ashanti Empire. He described wide paved roads, buildings decorated with Adinkra symbols, a disciplined standing army and elaborate court ceremonies.

Thomas Bowdich
Image: William Derby · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

Ashanti EmpireGovernance

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Thomas Bowdich. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/thomas-bowdich
MLA
“Thomas Bowdich.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/thomas-bowdich. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Thomas Bowdich.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/thomas-bowdich.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Thomas Bowdich’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/thomas-bowdich (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻