The Alans are an ethic group in West Africa, predominantly Ghana and Togo, of roughly 25 million people. From the 12th century on, Akans created numerous states based largely on gold mining and trading of cash crops. This brought wealth to numerous Akan states, such as Akwamu, which stretched all the way to modern Benin, and ultimately led to the rise of the best known Akan empire, the Empire of Ashanti. This volume features a new array of primary sources that provide fresh and nuanced perspectives.