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Kingdom of Benin
Benin was an influential city-state in northwest Africa generally from
the 15th to 17th century. It was founded by the Edo or Bini people in the
13th century, and by the early 14th century a royal court was in place.
It was always ruled by a powerful king who was usually a former war leader.
The kings, however, later became a more religious figure. The kingdom
has been though to extend throughout what is presently southern Nigeria.
One of its most successful kings was Ozoula. During his reign, from about
1480 to 1504, Benin established many commercial and diplomatic relations
with Portugal. The kingdom participated in a lot of trade with Europe.
Some of the goods they traded included palm oil, ivory, pepper, and
textiles. Another industry Benin took place in was the slave trade.
Mostly POW's and women were traded, but in the early years, men of the
tribe were also given away.
Gradually, the power of the kingdom decreased as the 18th and 19th
centuries passed. Eventually, in 1897, the area was annexed to British
Nigeria. While tribesmen still led the area, the real control was in the
hands of the Europeans.
One of the richest arts that originated in Africa are some of the hand
cast bronzes that came out of the kingdom of Benin. These became known as
the Benin Bronzes. The casting of brass was strictly a royal art and
anyone found casting brass without royal permission was faced with
execution. Whenever a king or a major figure died, a beautiful
commemorative head was cast out of bronze in his honor. These heads were
displayed at shrines found all throughout the royal palace. Also found in
the royal palace were eight wall-sized bronze plaques. Each plaque
depicted kings, chiefs, and great warriors in battle. They each depict a
different event in Benin's history. Many things including utensils and
weapons have also been found, each hand cast with brass. As you can see,
the Beninian people were very gifted in this fine art and it is one of the
richest parts of their culture.
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