kingdom · West Africa
Bono State
Origins
Bono, with its capital at Bono Manso near modern Techiman, is regarded by Akan tradition as one of the earliest Akan kingdoms. It grew where the savanna meets the forest, close to gold-bearing land and to the Mande trading town of Begho. Tradition dates its founding as early as the 13th century, though its chronology is uncertain.
Rule and society
Bono's kings controlled gold mining and the trade in gold and kola northward to Mande and Hausa traders, receiving cloth, salt and brass. Akan institutions often credited to Bono include the use of gold weights, stools as symbols of office and matrilineal succession. Tradition names Ameyaw Kwaakye as a king under whom gold mining expanded.
Decline and legacy
In 1723 the Ashanti Empire under Opoku Ware conquered Bono Manso and destroyed the town. Its people and royal stools were absorbed into the Ashanti system, and the Techiman traditional state claims succession from Bono.
Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (1)
- Bono State was conquered by Ashanti Empire1723 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Bono State. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bono-state
- MLA
- “Bono State.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bono-state. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Bono State.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bono-state.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Bono State’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bono-state (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻