Benin Bronzes

“Boom,” she dove into the motionless water. Only one solitary thought remained in her mind. He is watching…. She did not dare to look back, she knew that whatever happened it was in his hands. - What she didn't know, is that in the next 10 seconds she would destroy the Junior World record by a margin of 3.41 seconds to become the youngest American to qualify for an Olympic Game. Most importantly her father would be watching. It all began years ago when her father developed dementia. Her one and…

where prehistoric society buried their cremated dead. (Greaney, n.d.) The unique lintelled stone circle with its massive sarsens and tinier bluestones were raised in the late Neolithic era around 2500 BC. Stonehenge remained significant into the early Bronze Age, when many burial mounds were built nearby and used. (Greaney, n.d.)…

The Stela of Iykhernofret is an artefact that dates back to the Middle Kingdom. It contains an autobiography of an official named Iykhernofret, who lived during the reigns of Senwosret III and Amenemhet III in the end of the Twelfth Dynasty. The stela was found in Abydos, a city located on the western bank of the Nile in Upper Egypt’s eighth nome, relatively close to the Qena Bend. It is home to a necropolis – a vast burial site – in which the pharaohs from the Early Dynastic Period were buried.…

live, express themselves and the way they choose to maintain their history. We can see that effect of cultural encounter between Benin and European. The first contact between Benin and European started with the trades of object and goods in the fifteenth century to the…

The Kingdom of Benin Kingdom of Benin, was an independent country located in West Africa, in the fifteenth century, it was the major power of the West Africa, which is the south west of Nigeria currently. It was first discovered by the Portuguese, when the Portuguese traders built some business relationship with the merchants of Benin, and this was the first cultural encounter between Benin and Europe, but how exactly did this cultural encounter influence on the people of Benin? And How Did it…

History of the Benin shrines and altars go back to the thirteenth century located in the Africa’s beautiful tropical forest region of South – Central, Nigeria Edo Estate. The Benin kingdom consist of not only the Edo people, they also include the peoples of Igbo, Ijaw, Yoruba, and Itsekiri that live along the Edo state boarders. The Benin kingdom is one of the many places in Africa known for its sophisticated and beautiful art made of ivory, brass, and wood. “The Edo artist consist of brass…

Museums worldwide face the moral dilemma of what to showcase in their collections. Some governments and citizens have questioned the legitimacy of the entitlement to some ancient artifacts that were taken during circumstances like war. Countries have requested cultural repatriation of their artistic works. Cultural repatriation is the return of cultural relics that have been taken from their homeland. Items from around the world, such as Rome, Scotland, and Africa have faced this difficult…

Nearly 30% of the world’s gold comes from Africa, though a lot of it was mined and traded by ancient African kingdoms. Both the kingdom of Benin and the Swahili Coast rose to power due to inter-continental trading, they both declined and then eventually collapsed with decreased trading and conquering by Europeans. The kingdom of Benin started in the 900s CE when the Edo people settled in the West African rainforests. By 1400, the kingdom had gained a lot of wealth and power through trade with…

The Sub-Saharan region lived independently before they began to trade with Europe. The region created many achievements still used today. Metalworking skills, strong political government and the balance of job specialization. Those specific achievements allowed the sub-Saharan region to advance without the need for trade, unlike other civilizations that only flourished when using trade. The Sub-Saharan region before trade had many achievements before the development of trade; metalworking…

family and seeing them through times of trouble is often described as being "on his head." Each new king or “Oba” of the Nigerian kingdom of Benin memorialized his father with a portrait cast in brass, made by craftsmen of the brass fraternity. The oba is often called a "Great Head," accentuating the head of the living leader as having the responsibility over the Benin kingdom. This head may have been made for the funeral of the king Ozolua or his son Esigye himself in 1551.The idealized…