Ancient Benin Facts: Learn About The Historical Kingdom

Welcome to the tale of a long-lost medieval city that you've almost certainly never known of.

Benin City, also known as Edo, was the capital of a pre-colonial African empire that formerly ruled over southern Nigeria. The Benin Empire, which can be dated back to the 11th century, is one of west Africa's oldest and most established empires.

By the year 900, Edo gangs started cutting down trees and clearing land in the rainforest. They resided in small family units at first, but these groups eventually grew into a kingdom.

Villages grouped together for commercial or security reasons to establish larger settlements, eventually expanding into the city-state. The walls of Benin City and its surrounding kingdom were recognized in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's greatest earthworks built before the modern period.

Benin City's fortifications were once four times longer than the Great Wall of China. Beyond the city walls, the palace had many courtyards and several galleries with wooden pillars to support the roof. 

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Benin History

From roughly 1300 C.E. until the British invaded Benin City in 1897, Benin was a great monarchy in West Africa.

In the 1200s C.E., the historic kingdom of Benin was founded in the wooded region of West Africa(modern Nigeria). The Edo people of southern Nigeria created Benin, but Igodomigodo was the name of the kingdom.

They sought the assistance of a prince from the West African kingdom of Ife, and the monarch dispatched his son, Prince Oranmiyan, to restore peace in the Edo Kingdom. Eweka, Oranmiyan's son, was chosen as the first Oba of Benin. Eweka was Benin's first king or oba.

He and his forefathers were later pursued by state cults that practiced human sacrifice. Around the 1400s, they had established a wealthy kingdom led by the oba, a formidable ruler.

Eweka is considered Benin's first oba, or monarch, though power remained in a hereditary line of local chiefs for several years. Royal power began to exert itself late in the 13th century under the oba Ewedo and was fully established under Ewuare the Great.

Ewuare became the new Oba of Benin around 1440. He began conquering the country. He also restored Benin City and the royal palace.

Among the five great warrior kings, Oba Ewuare was the first. Oba Ozolua, his son, is said to have won 200 fights. Oba Esigie expanded his realm eastwards to build an empire and conquered land from the Kingdom of Ife as his successor.

Ozolua and Esigie were both pro-Portuguese merchants. They exploited their trading money to assemble a massive army.

Oba Orhogbua was the fourth warrior king. The empire grew to its greatest magnitude during his reign. It reached far beyond Niger River in the east, while in the west, it reached as far as modern-day Ghana.

Ewuare, the Benin king, was a mighty warrior and magician, according to legend. He formed a hereditary throne and substantially enlarged the Benin kingdom's territory.

Ewuare also reconstructed the capital (Benin City today). Throughout the two dynasties, no queen has ever ruled the Benin kingdom. Benin's leaders became increasingly reliant on supernatural rituals and large-scale human sacrifices to safeguard the state from further territorial invasion.

Oba Ozolua, the oba who reigned in 1481 AD, had a wife named Idia. When Esigie bestowed the title and the Eguae-Iyoba (Palace of the Queen Mother) on Queen Idia, she became Benin's first Iyoba (Queen Mother) and the famous warrior.

When an ivory carving of Queen Idia's visage was adopted as the symbol of FESTAC in 1977, she gained even greater popularity.

She is credited with founding the kingdom's first elementary school and rescuing the monarchy at one of its darkest periods. In 1432 AD, she assisted Oba Ewuare in recovering the throne from his usurper brother, Oba Uwaifiokun.

Another female whose sacrifice shaped the Benin Kingdom is Queen Iden. In around 1700 AD, she was the queen during the reign of Oba Ewuape.

After consulting the oracle and learning that human sacrifice would be required to appease the gods and restore peace and harmony in the kingdom, she volunteered herself as a sacrificial lamb for the sake of her husband and the welfare of the entire kingdom.

The last of the warrior kings was Oba Ehengbuda. However, he spent the majority of his rule suppressing rebellions of the local chiefs.

However, the kingdom was undermined during the 18th and early 19th centuries by violent succession conflicts between members of the royal dynasty, some of which exploded into civil wars. Benin began to lose influence in the 1800s, and the Obas struggled to maintain control over their people.

Britain was also a threat to Benin.

The oba attempted to cut off all ties with the United Kingdom, but the British insisted on their right to trade. In 1897, King Oronramwen (the Oba of Benin) had General Asoro the Warrior as his sword-bearer.

During the British invasion of 1897-1898, he demonstrated his strength by single-handedly commanding the British Army with only a few troops. "No one else dares cross this way except the Oba," he said (So kpon oba), which was later shortened to "SAKPONBA," and a road was named in Benin with that name.

The rise of the Benin kingdom, like that of many great civilizations, was marked by thrill and amazement. Still, its subsequent social problems and political instability revealed the consequences of avarice, inhumanity, and a love of power.

A party of British officials attempted to visit Benin in 1897. They were sent away since the oba was preoccupied with a religious ceremony, but they insisted on paying a visit. As they neared the Benin empire, warriors forced them back, killing numerous British soldiers.

The British were enraged by this attack. They invaded Benin with nearly a thousand men. Benin City was destroyed in a fire, and the British Empire annexed the kingdom of Benin.

Benin Culture Facts

The layout and development of Benin City followed strict standards of symmetry, proportionality, and repetition, which are now known as fractal designs.

Benin's culture is probably one of the most unique and interesting in Africa, with strong religious roots informing most traditions. Each ethnic group has distinct but unmistakable clothing, with varied colors and designs used for different occasions in most tribes. The yam was ancient Benin's principal crop.

Palm oil, beans, okra, melons, and peppers were among the other crops grown. Bushmeat and fish were used to boost people's diets. Cowrie shells were utilized as a form of payment.

The historic kingdom of Benin was located on West Africa's South East Coast, which is now part of modern Nigeria. The history was passed down through oral tradition, art, and legends. Many of the plaques, originally mounted to wooden pillars in Benin's royal palace, represent past conflicts, scenes of life at court, and depict Benin's religious activities.

The Benin Kingdom's artists were noted for working with various materials, including metal, wood, and ivory. They were known for their head sculptures and bas-relief sculptures, particularly plaques.

The heads were generally lifelike and life-size, and the inscriptions usually depicted historical events. Artisans also sculpted a variety of ivory artifacts, including masks and salt cellars for the European trading partners. Benin had a well-developed monarchy and used human sacrifice to satisfy their gods.

For Benin's artists and craftspeople, Eware built renowned guilds. Only privileged artists handpicked by the king and highly valued in the royal court were allowed access to the facilities and activities. Brass casting was meticulously controlled. Anyone caught casting brass without royal authorization was sentenced to death, according to Eware's orders.

Benin City was also one of the earliest cities in West Africa to have some form of street lighting. Their flaming wicks, fueled by palm oil, were ignited at night to provide illumination for transportation from and to the palace. Benin was not a coastline state, but it kept in touch with it via the Benin River at Ughoton.

Benin's growth was powered by its thriving trade. Benin was also significantly involved in the West African slave trade in the early modern era. This trade was a significant source of revenue for the kingdom. It never abstained from the system entirely. Its leaders prohibited the export of male slaves during the 16th and 17th centuries.

A gallery portraying life in West Africa before the entrance of European slavers may be seen in the Liverpool Slavery Museum. It was stated in 2018 that some of the Benin Bronzes would be returning to Benin City.

The renowned item is modeled on Queen Idia. It is now known as the FESTAC Mask, thanks to its inclusion in the Nigeria-funded and hosted Second Festival of Black and African Arts and Culture logo in 1977.

What was ancient Benin known for?

The monarch not only had complete control over all exterior trade, but he also personally held a vast majority of the kingdom's high-value items.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, European traders and merchants were familiar with the kingdom of Benin, which prospered in part thanks to slave trafficking. The Benin Kingdom's artists were noted for working with various materials, including metal, wood, and ivory.

The people of Benin are the world's finest bronze casters.

This is the most distinctive qualities of the historic Kingdom of Benin. Established in the 14th century by Oba Oguola, the casting profession is still a closely guarded secret practiced only by the Igun clan of casters with the oba's permission.

How old is the Benin kingdom?

The present African country of Benin is not to be confused with the ancient kingdom of Benin, which is located in modern Nigeria.

The Kingdom of Benin was one of the oldest and most sophisticated states in West Africa's coastal hinterland. It was founded in 1000 AD and lasted until 1897, when the British Empire captured it.

Although there is still an Oba or king, his position is now primarily symbolic. Today, the Oba of Benin is considered a member of the House of Chiefs. He is the head of the Edo community, which has a population of about 5,000,000 people.

There are considerable differences in how the Igodomigodo came to be the Benin Empire, where Edo and Yoruba mythology clash. However, because the people did not wish to be dominated by Ogisos, they were eventually subjected to the rule of an "Oba," or King/Emperor, in the 1200s.

Furthermore, if Igodomigodo is considered the first "Benin Kingdom," Benin has been around for about 2,000 years.

Benin is roughly 800 years old if you regard Eweka's ascension to rule as the first Oba of the Benin Kingdom/Empire. Nevertheless, Benin is an old kingdom with a rich African history before colonization.

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