New
New
Year 6

Benin and Europe

I can explain how contact with Europeans led to the Benin Bronzes being looted.

New
New
Year 6

Benin and Europe

I can explain how contact with Europeans led to the Benin Bronzes being looted.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In the 1500s CE Portugese merchants began to trade goods like guns with Benin in exchange for enslaved people.
  2. The Dutch, French and English entered this trade in the 1600s CE, making Benin rich and powerful.
  3. However, by the 1800s CE, the power of Benin had weakened, and the British wanted to control trade in the region.
  4. In 1897 they invaded the kingdom of Benin, burning Benin City to the ground and making it part of British Nigeria.
  5. During the invasion thousands of pieces of Edo artwork, including some of those in the British Museum, were looted.

Keywords

  • Enslaved - when a person is enslaved it means that they are forced to be a slave

  • Transatlantic - transatlantic means crossing the Atlantic Ocean

  • British Nigeria - British Nigeria refers to the time when Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1960 when they achieved independence

  • Loot - to loot means to steal items from a place during a war but and can also mean the stolen items

Common misconception

The Kingdom of Benin's trade with Europe solely revolved around the transatlantic slave trade.

While the Kingdom of Benin did participate in the slave trade to some extent, it also engaged in other forms of trade, including the exchange of goods such as ivory, pepper, cloth, and brassware.

Explore what the Declaration of Human Rights says about slavery - there are some excellent books specifically written for children on this topic.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
The Edo people believed that Osun was the god of magic and...
Correct Answer: medicine, Medicine
Q2.
A __________ is a god, goddess or supernatural being that some people worship and believe in.
spirit
ghost
Correct answer: deity
saint
priest
Q3.
The Museum currently holds a brass statue of Osun's head.
Correct Answer: British, british
Q4.
The four on top of the statue’s head represent Osun’s protection and the ability the Oba has to make prophecies.
Correct Answer: birds, Birds
Q5.
The coming out of the nostrils symbolise Osun's warriors and the Oba's magical ability to defeat and destroy his enemies.
Correct Answer: snakes, Snakes, snake, Snakes
Q6.
The thunder-stones on the head of the British Museum's Osun statue represent the Oba's power to bring , like lightning.
Correct Answer: destruction, Destruction

6 Questions

Q1.
The earliest Europeans to trade directly with the Kingdom of Benin were the...
English
Correct answer: Portuguese
French
Spanish
Q2.
The Portuguese often paid for goods, including enslaved people, using...
Correct Answer: manillas, Manillas, Manilla, manilla
Q3.
The transatlantic slave trade transported enslaved people from West Africa to...
Europe
Correct answer: the Americas
Britain
north Africa
Q4.
By the 1800s, the power of the Kingdom of Benin had weakened because...
Correct answer: there were conflicts within the kingdom
Correct answer: neighbouring kingdoms had grown stronger
it had run out of resources
it had stopped trading with European powers
Correct answer: European powers wanted to take greater control of West Africa
Q5.
In 1897, the British overthrew the Oba and the kingdom became part of British...
Correct Answer: Nigeria, nigeria
Q6.
Roughly how many pieces of Edo artwork were sent back to Britain during the British Expedition?
1000
1500
2000
Correct answer: 2500

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