Kingdom of Benin · about 1440-1897

Benin: the Oba's kingdom and its brass plaques

In the forest of southern Nigeria, the Obas of Benin ruled a walled capital and kept a royal guild of brass casters. Students read the history told by Benin's plaques and debate where the artworks taken in 1897 belong today.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, AD 1600 to AD 1500
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

In the forest of southern Nigeria, the Obas of Benin ruled a walled capital and kept a royal guild of brass casters. Students read the history told by Benin's plaques and debate where the artworks taken in 1897 belong today.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Locate Benin City and explain the difference between the Kingdom of Benin and the modern Republic of Benin.
  • Describe how the Benin plaques were made and what they show about court life.
  • Explain what happened in 1897 and summarise the debate about returning the Benin bronzes.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1600

Not the country Benin

Open the map in 1600 and find the label Benin west of the Niger delta. Now drag the slider to 2000: where is the modern country called Benin? Is it the same place?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1600

A walled capital

Go back to 1600 and zoom in close to Benin City, inland from the coast and west of the Niger delta. The old city was surrounded by earth walls and deep moats. What would they protect against?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1500

Ships on the coast

Move to 1500 and turn on Trade Routes. Which routes run along the West African coast from that year? What did European ships want from Benin?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Benin's brass plaques show the Oba, warriors and even Portuguese traders. Why would a king want his court recorded in metal?
  2. Only the royal guild of casters could make brass works for the Oba. Why would a king control an art form?
  3. Portuguese traders paid with brass rings called manillas, which Benin's casters melted down. Who do you think gained most from this trade?
  4. In 1897 British soldiers took thousands of Benin artworks. Where should they be today, and why?
  5. The modern country of Benin is not the old kingdom. Why are the names of old kingdoms reused?
4

Game round

10 min

No Oba of Benin is in Rule History. Play one round as Elizabeth I, whose merchants were trading on the West African coast in the 1500s. Discuss: how did the Obas and Elizabeth each use trade with foreigners to grow stronger?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

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