Rao is a village in northern Senegal, approximately 15km from
Saint-Louis. It is the seat of the eponymous
Rao Arrondissement
Rao Arrondissement is an arrondissement of the Saint-Louis Department in the Saint-Louis Region of Senegal. It is the area around Saint-Louis city.
Subdivisions
The arrondissement is divided administratively into rural communities
Sociolo ...
.
Rao is known primarily as an important archaeological site, where the 'Rao Pectoral' was discovered in a burial mound in 1941. The large, golden disc is among the most impressive artifacts unearthed in
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤠(Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣� ...
.
It dates from the period of the founding of the
Jolof Empire Jolof (french: Djolof or ') may refer to either of
* Jolof Empire, a West African successor state to the Mali Empire in modern Senegal from the 14th to 16th centuries
* Kingdom of Jolof, a rump survival of the earlier empire from the 16th to the 19 ...
, and was found near the ancient village of
Mboyu-Gar where the empire's founder
Ndiadiane Ndiaye first appeared in
Waalo
Walo ( wo, Waalo) was a kingdom on the lower Senegal River in West Africa, in what are now Senegal and Mauritania. It included parts of the valley proper and areas north and south, extending to the Atlantic Ocean. To the north were Moorish emirat ...
.
References
{{reflist
Populated places in Saint-Louis Region
Archaeological sites in Senegal