Abidemi Babalola, a Nigerian archaeologist based in the United States, has been named one of the recipients of the prestigious 2025 Dan David Prize, winning $300,000 for his groundbreaking research into the history of glass beads
The Dan David Prize, widely regarded as the world’s largest award for historical scholarship, honors exceptional contributions to the study of the past. The 2025 winners were announced on the prize’s official website, with the award ceremony taking place on May 28 in Italy.
Babalola, whose research traces the origins of glass beads to ancient Ile-Ife in Nigeria, has made significant discoveries that shed new light on Africa’s early civilizations. His award-winning work, titled “The Ile-Ife Glass Bead Series… and the Glass Bead Roads in West African Archaeology”, explores the cultural and historical relevance of glass beads in Yoruba heritage.
Celebrating the achievement, Saheed Aderinto, the 2023 recipient of the same prize, shared a heartfelt tribute on social media. He recounted their academic journey from Nigeria to the United States and praised Babalola’s years of dedication to fieldwork and scholarship.
“For two decades, Dr. Babalola conducted numerous archaeological excavations at Ile-Ife, worked in world-class labs, and held fellowships at Harvard and Cambridge,” Aderinto wrote. “His hard labour and mind-blowing discoveries further position Ile-Ife in Yoruba history and expand our understanding of ancient African civilisation.”
Babalola’s multidisciplinary approach combines scientific tools with ethnographic, archaeological, and historical methods. His research places the history of glass beads at the intersection of culture, power, religion, and identity.
He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Ibadan and earned his PhD from Rice University in Houston, Texas. Currently, Babalola serves as the lead archaeologist on the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) Archaeology Project in Benin City, Nigeria, working in collaboration with the British Museum’s Department of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas.
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Congrats
Na wa o