THE BENIN KINGDOM

The Benin Kingdom was “one of the oldest and most developed states in the coastal hinterland of West Africa”. It grew out of the previous Edo Kingdom of Igodomigodo around the 11th century CE and lasted until it was annexed by the British Empire in 1897.

The people of Benin were very clever. They invented many things including a thumb piano. A musical instrument that produced beautiful sounds. Which was made with metal strips fastened to a wooden box.

The state developed an advanced artistic culture, especially in its famous artifacts of bronze, iron and ivory. These include bronze wall plaques and life-sized bronze heads depicting the Obas and Iyobas of Benin. These plaques also included other human and animal figures as well as items like ceremonial belts.

Other inventions includes the Impluvium which was used in Benin architecture to store rainwater. a compluvium channeled the rainwater into the impluvium in order to permit light and air through the walls since windows were absent among these structures. The stored rainwater in the impluvium was discharged throughout the house using a drainage system beneath the floor.

There is also the Walls of Benin which are a series of earthworks made up of banks and ditches, called Iya in the Edo language in the area around present-day Benin City. They consist of 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) of city iya and an estimated 16,000 kilometres (9,900 miles) in the rural area around Benin.

Some estimates suggest that the walls of Benin may have been constructed between the thirteenth and mid-fifteenth century CE. Others suggest that the walls of Benin (in the Esan region) may have been constructed during the first millennium AD.

The Benin City walls have been known to Westerners since around 1500. Around 1500, the Portuguese explorer Duarte Pacheco Pereira, briefly described the walls during his travels. In Pereira’s Esmeraldo de Situ Orbis, 1505, we read:

“The houses are built of sun-dried bricks covered with palm leaves. Benin, which is 80 leagues long by 40 leagues broad, is always at war with its neighbours from whom it obtains captives, whom we buy at from 12 to 15 brass or copper manillas.”

Another description given around 1600, one hundred years after Pereira’s description, is by the Dutch explorer Dierick Ruiters.

“This city is about a league long from gate to gate; it has no wall but is surrounded by a large moat, very wide and deep, which suffices for its defence.”

In 1691, the Portuguese ship captain Lourenco Pinto observed and described the City of Benin:

“Great Benin, where the king resides, is larger than Lisbon; all the streets run straight and as far as the eye can see. The houses are large, especially that of the king, which is richly decorated and has fine columns. The city is wealthy and industrious.”

Military operations relied on a well trained disciplined force. At the head of the host stood the Oba of Benin. The monarch of the realm served as supreme military commander.

Beneath him were subordinate generalissimos, the Ezomo, the Iyase, and others who supervised a Metropolitan Regiment based in the capital, and a Royal Regiment made up of hand picked warriors that also served as bodyguards.

Until the introduction of guns in the 15th century, traditional weapons like the spear, short sword, and bow held sway. Efforts were made to reorganize a local guild of blacksmiths in the 18th century to manufacture light firearms, but dependence on imports was still heavy.

Before the coming of the gun, guilds of blacksmiths were charged with war production particularly swords and iron spearheads. In addition, crossbowmen formed a specialized unit of the Benin army. Archers and crossbowmen were trained in target and field archery.