ABSTRACT
In earlier times 'Danhome' was the name given to the fabulous kingdom of Abomey; and it is by this name that the modern republic is known. On the eve of European penetration the Dahomey kingdom stretched from the important coastal ports of Whydah and Cotonou to the eighth parallel, excluding Save and Savalou. Savalou formed a small allied kingdom. Despite the fact that the Abomey kingdom was established by conquest by foreign invaders, the population of the country exhibited a high degree of homogeneity. In Dahomey the kingdom was concentrated in the person of the king and his ancestors. At the end of the nineteenth century Dahomey consisted of seven provinces. In Dahomey, however, national cults were closely supervised by the king. Social cohesion and a feeling of unity in Dahomey were reinforced by a universally held hatred of an ancient enemy—the Yoruba.
