The Benin Kingdom, West Africa
History · Key Stage 2 · The School
A powerful kingdom, walled and organised
The KINGDOM OF BENIN grew powerful from around the 1200s. It sat in what is now Nigeria. It was ruled by an OBA, or king. Benin City was surrounded by huge earthwork walls and ditches. These are among the largest man-made earthworks anywhere in the world.
Casting one plaque, start to finish
Imagine one caster making one plaque by LOST-WAX casting. The Horniman Museum explains the steps. First, the caster shapes a base from soft clay. On it, the caster makes the picture in wax. Wooden tools shape the fine details. Next, clay is packed over the wax to make a case, called a mould. The mould is heated in a kiln, and the wax melts and runs out. That leaves a hollow in the shape of the picture. The caster pours in melted brass. When it has cooled, the clay is broken off. The plaque is then cleaned and polished. Hundreds of plaques like this hung in the Oba's palace. Most are brass, not bronze, but they are still called the BENIN BRONZES.
1897: independence ends violently
In 1897, a British force attacked Benin City. They burned it too. This is known as the BRITISH PUNITIVE EXPEDITION. Thousands of artworks were taken away. The Oba himself was captured. He was sent into exile. The kingdom's independence ended there.
Most of the looted Benin Bronzes ended up in museums across Europe. This includes the British Museum, in London. Nigeria has formally asked for many of them back. Some museums have returned pieces in recent years. Many others have not. It is a live, unresolved argument. Who should objects taken by force now belong to?