The Recade of King Dakodonu, also called Dokodonu, is described as an older Dahomeyan ceremonial object dated to 1625–1650. It is a message-carrying axe whose blade bears a combination of graphic signs. The object belongs to a political culture in which royal authority and the preservation of sovereign memory were expressed through material symbols.

The signs on the blade are interpreted as a silex sign, “da,” followed by the sign of the earth, “ko,” marked by a hole, “donon.” Their combination is read as the king’s name. In this interpretation, the object does not merely depict the ruler; it records his name through a sequence that joins image, symbol, and sound.

The recade is compared with the Palette of Narmer, whose signs also combine images and phonetic values. The comparison supports the passage’s larger claim that Dahomeyan graphic practice used three techniques: pictographic images, ideographic symbols, and picto-phonographic signs. Because the reading is presented through an interpretive framework, the identification is best retained for scholarly review.