The Kingdom of Benin in West Africa

The Kingdom of Benin in West Africa
Author: Heather Millar
Publisher: Cavendish Square Publishing
Total Pages: 88
Release: 1997
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780761400882

Presents the history and culture of the kingdom which 500 years ago outshone all others on Africa's west coast and which is now part of Nigeria.

Benin

Benin
Author: Kathleen Bickford Berzock
Publisher:
Total Pages: 44
Release: 2008
Genre: Art
ISBN:

In the late 15th century, the Kingdom of Benin (located in present-day southwestern Nigeria) established a mercantile relationship with Portugal, significantly increasing its wealth and might. Benin became a regional powerhouse and, under a long lineage of divine rulers, or obas, it wielded great economic and political influence. The obas also supported guilds of artists--chief among them brass casters and ivory carvers--whom they employed to produce objects that honored royal ancestors, recorded history, and glorified life at court. The sophisticated creations of Benin’s royal artists stand among the greatest works of African art. This stunning book features a selection of Benin’s extraordinary artworks that range from finely cast bronze figures, altar heads, and wall plaques to ivory tusks, pendants, and arm cuffs embellished in detailed bas relief. An insightful essay outlines the kingdom’s history and sheds light on these masterworks by describing their production and function in the context of the royal court.

Osasu and the Great Wall of the Benin Empire

Osasu and the Great Wall of the Benin Empire
Author: Tamkara Adun
Publisher:
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2021-08-28
Genre:
ISBN: 9789083178202

The Great Benin Empire was an empire kingdom in West Africa known for its great wealth, intricately planned cities, and beautiful bronze sculptures. It was one of the oldest and most highly developed empires in West Africa from the 13th century until the end of the 19th century. It attracted visitors from far away lands who came to trade and also marvel at its great wall. This story is told from the point of view of Osasu, a young Edo boy who lived in the Benin empire and enjoys the comfort and protection of the Great Wall of Benin that was built by his ancestors. Follow young Osasu, as he navigates life at the height of the ancient Benin civilization, the arrival of strange visitors, and the fall of the Great Benin Empire. A must-read for every child and teen interested in untold histories. (Note: This can be emphasized and highlighted) Apart from the entertainment value, readers will benefit from exploring important nuggets of African history and culture as they immerse themselves in this beautiful African story.

Blood and Bronze

Blood and Bronze
Author: Paddy Docherty
Publisher: Hurst Publishers
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2021-12-09
Genre: History
ISBN: 1787387550

The Benin Bronzes are among the British Museum’s most prized possessions. Celebrated for their great beauty, they embody the history, myth and artistry of the ancient Kingdom of Benin, once West Africa’s most powerful, and today part of Nigeria. But despite the Bronzes’ renown, little has been written about the brutal imperial violence with which they were plundered. Paddy Docherty’s searing new history tells that story: the 1897 British invasion of Benin. Armed with shocking details discovered in the archives, Blood and Bronze sets this assault in its late Victorian context. As British power faced new commercial and strategic pressures elsewhere, it ruthlessly expanded in West Africa. Revealing both the extent of African resistance and previously concealed British outrages, this is a definitive account of the destruction of Benin. Laying bare the Empire’s true motives and violent means, including the official coverup of grotesque sexual crimes, Docherty demolishes any moral argument for Britain retaining the Bronzes, making a passionate case for their immediate repatriation to Nigeria.

Edo

Edo
Author: Chukwuma Azuonye
Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group
Total Pages: 64
Release: 1996
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9780823919857

A description of the history and culture of the people living in West Africa includes information about their economy, language, arts, political system, customs, and religion

Loot

Loot
Author: Barnaby Phillips
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 527
Release: 2021-04-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1786079364

A Prospect Best Book of 2021 ‘A fascinating and timely book.’ William Boyd ‘Gripping…a must read.’ FT ‘Compelling…humane, reasonable, and ultimately optimistic.’ Evening Standard ‘[A] valuable guide to a complex narrative.’ The Times In 1897, Britain sent a punitive expedition to the Kingdom of Benin, in what is today Nigeria, in retaliation for the killing of seven British officials and traders. British soldiers and sailors captured Benin, exiled its king and annexed the territory. They also made off with some of Africa’s greatest works of art. The ‘Benin Bronzes’ are now amongst the most admired and valuable artworks in the world. But seeing them in the British Museum today is, in the words of one Benin City artist, like ‘visiting relatives behind bars’. In a time of huge controversy about the legacy of empire, racial justice and the future of museums, what does the future hold for the Bronzes?

West African Kingdoms in the Nineteenth Century

West African Kingdoms in the Nineteenth Century
Author: Daryll Forde
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 349
Release: 2018-10-10
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 042995851X

Originally published in 1967 this volume presents studies of 10 West African kingdoms which have played an important part in the economic, political and cultural life of the region. Ranging geographically from the kingdom of Benin in southern Nigeria to the Wolof kingdom of Kayor in Senegal, they inlcude the Oyo Yoruba, Dahomey, Hausa, Maradi, Kom in West Cameroon, the Mossi, Ashanti and Gonja and the Mende chiefdoms of Sierra Leone. Each outlines the historical origins and development of the kingdom and analyses its organization in the nineteenth century. It includes accounts of the economic basis and resources of the state and the significance of tribute and trade, of the social categories among its population, the administrarive machinery and communnications, the judicial and military organization and external relations. It also considers the importance of the ideology and rituals of kingship.

The Precolonial State in West Africa

The Precolonial State in West Africa
Author: J. Cameron Monroe
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 285
Release: 2014-06-09
Genre: History
ISBN: 1107040183

This volume examines political life in the Kingdom of Dahomey, located in the Republic of Bénin.