Dr. Abidemi Babatunde Babalola, a Nigerian research archaeologist at the British Museum in the United Kingdom (UK), has been named one of the winners of the 2025 Dan David Prize, the world’s largest financial award for outstanding scholarship in the historical disciplines.
The Dan David Prize, valued at $300,000 per recipient, is awarded to scholars whose research has significantly advanced the understanding of the human past.
Babalola received the honor during a prestigious award ceremony held on May 28 in Italy.
Babalola’s groundbreaking work challenges longstanding assumptions in the field of archaeology.
His research, which spanned more than two decades, provided compelling evidence that the production of glass beads was indigenous to Africa, a discovery that reshaped global understanding of African history and material culture.
The archeologist’s findings, based on excavations in Ile Ife and scientific analysis in top laboratories, countered the view and highlighted the technological sophistication of ancient African societies.
His research not only elevated the historical significance of Ile Ife in Yoruba history but also offered a new framework for understanding the broader cultural and civilizational developments across the continent.
By combining scientific methods with archaeological, ethnographic, and historical analysis, Babalola has highlighted how glass beads were deeply intertwined with expressions of class, gender, power, and religion in Yoruba society.
Before joining the British Museum, Babalola held fellowships at both Harvard University and the University of Cambridge.
A fellow Nigerian and 2023 Dan David Prize recipient, Prof. Saheed Aderinto, who attended the award ceremony in Italy, described Babalola as “more than a genius”, and noted their long-standing friendship that began during their undergraduate days at the University of Ibadan in 1998.
