[img]http://4.bp..com/_ytgJBaeUgnk/SK6hyaxuXNI/AAAAAAAAACQ/Zm-O9dMLp4w/s1600/osazee.jpg[/img]

"Osazee's standing on a decorative inset showing the crossed eben and ada ceremonial swords, a motif restricted to the Oba and his chiefs. Wealthy householders often floor parts of their compound yards, either with concrete or an amalgamated material. I've never seen one of these insets being made, and I'm still curious about them--a metal strip separates the colors. I've never viewed anything like them outside Nigeria--perhaps the costs here are too high? Or perhaps I just don't get out often enough! Owners choose the motifs; in Benin, traditional gongs and other emblematic symbols also show up."


[img]http://4.bp..com/_ytgJBaeUgnk/SK6rkjS9H2I/AAAAAAAAACg/wSVKPUdvmbQ/s1600/floor%2Bcowries%2Bbenin%2Bmuseum.jpg[/img]

"Even though this flooring has a practical purpose, particularly in the rainy season when mud can be a problem, the decorative aspect recalls older forms of floor ornamentation. Cowrie shells used to be placed into floors in patterns. Since cowries were an old currency, they attested to the owner's wealth--so extreme that he could afford to seem casual about it. and have his visitors step on money.
I've never seen cleaner compounds anywhere. The whole of a household, inside and out, is swept every morning. When younger, Osaze would be out with a hose, a broom, and Vim or Omo, scrubbing the light-colored designs of Benin's red mud or dust."


http://iyare-penn..com/2008/08/osazees-standing-on-decorative-inset.html

[img]http://4.bp..com/_ytgJBaeUgnk/SKQe0B4NYXI/AAAAAAAAABg/TmjF2SGp32k/s1600/IMG_4515.JPG[/img]

"Look at these little Portuguese faces. The photo is larger than they are, yet the artist carefully included their straight beards, curving round the chin. The odd angle of their heads? They're quarreling with one another, and unseemly behavior (so natural for foreigners!) called for undignified poses. (If it weren't a detail, you'd see the gin bottle that started the quarrel).

But the Portuguese didn't drink or trade gin--genever--in its typical square-bottomed bottles. The Dutch brought gin to Benin in the 17th century, the English continued its trade from the 1700s on--but in their day (the late 15th and 16th centuries), the Portuguese sent brandy. The 19th century Edo artist who carved this probably saw European traders brawling over hot drink--but they wouldn't have looked like these little men.

No, the royal guild artists stopped really looking at foreigners in the 16th century. The long hair, dress, and hats of the Portuguese--and their protruding noses--stayed in the artists' consciousness long after the Iberians had been replaced by other European travelers. No other visitors matched their impact, and no individuals befriended the king, the way a few Portuguese had grown close to Oba Esigie. As their images decorated the palace and various court goods, artists continued to look at them and create, caught by their alien character and clothing."

http://iyare-penn..com/2008/08/aliens.html

.

[img]http://img.fotodom.ru/QM01-5972.jpg?size=l[/img]

"A Benin ivory box showing two Portuguese soldiers fighting beside a slaughtered dragon, the latter probably copied from a European print. Country of Origin: Nigeria. Culture: Edo. Date/Period: 16th - 17th C. Place of Origin: Benin. Material Size: Ivory. Credit Line: Werner Forman Archive / University Museum, Philadelphia. Location: 08. "




[I should point out that the animal claimed to be a "dragon" in the art above, is actually a pangolin, not a dragon, and was not copied from anything. See the book Benin Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria edited by Barbara Plankensteiner, which has the same image and an explanation.]

[img]http://www.uncg.edu/eng/pound/benin.gif[/img]

[img]http://img.fotodom.ru/QM01-0441.jpg?size=l[/img]

Hip mask worn by Benin chiefs. The ram was an important sacrificial animal, while mudfish were a common symbol in Benin art. Country of Origin: Nigeria. Culture: Benin. Date/Period: 17th century. Material Size: Brass. Credit Line: Werner Forman Archive / Courtesy Entwistle Gallery, London . Location: 08.

[img]http://img.fotodom.ru/QM00-1674.jpg?size=l[/img]

An arm ornament in the form of a leopard, part of a ceremonial outfit of the Oba of Benin. Regarded as the most powerful of animals, the leopard was a frequently used symbol of the Oba's authority. Country of Origin: Nigeria. Culture: Edo. Place of Origin: Benin City. Material Size: Ivory and copper studs. Credit Line: Werner Forman Archive / British Museum, London. Location: 08.

[img]http://www.zeller.de/img/benin-krieger-zu-pferd-41.jpg[/img]

http://www.zeller.de/de/katalog/auktion-102-sep-09/auktionsartikel/benin-krieger-zu-pferd/

[img]http://www.zeller.de/img/paar-benin-reiter-85.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.zeller.de/img/paar-benin-reiter-f3.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.zeller.de/img/paar-benin-reiter-df.jpg[/img]


http://www.zeller.de/de/katalog/auktion-89-junijuli-06/auktionsartikel/paar-benin-reiter/

[img]http://www.zeller.de/img/benin-reliefplatte-54.jpg[/img]

http://www.zeller.de/de/katalog/auktion-89-junijuli-06/auktionsartikel/benin-reliefplatte-1/

[img]http://www.zeller.de/img/benin-krieger-neben-loewe-f5.jpg[/img]

http://www.zeller.de/de/katalog/auktion-89-junijuli-06/auktionsartikel/benin-krieger-neben-loewe/

[img]http://2.bp..com/_ytgJBaeUgnk/STfYZseqojI/AAAAAAAAAGc/lp_Kd_It1eU/s1600/017.JPG[/img]


"Image is everything. Not an Edo proverb, but it might have been. These two 16th century heads from Philadelphia's Penn Museum are high-ranking war victims, either rulers or generals. Made from a copper alloy, they were permanent representations of specific victories. The conquerors appeared in only a handful of contemporary plaques actually engaged in war. Instead, they usually showed themselves in full ceremonial dress at a war festival, not engaged in sweaty combat, but splendid as victors.

Like disdainful conquistadors, they were secure in their position--so much so that they could afford to honor the defeated with precious metal and depictions of coral necklaces. Generals were stars when at home in Benin City, surrounded by cheering crowds and their entourages, encouraged by musicians and acclaim. The stress of the battlefield behind them, bloody memories were converted into beauty."

http://iyare-penn..com/2008/12/intrepid-fighters.html

The British made a mistake by destroying Benin, they should have occupied it like the Americans did Japan and then control it economically, but not politically (unless they need to). Leave its sovereignty. Benin would have grown and the British would have been making more money off the former Empire now than they really are (strong trade partner in Africa).

Benin would have probably developed like Japan because they had the same sort of values and government.

Physics, you are phenomenal! Do you have any information on the daily life of Benin? For example, what the daily routines of men, women, and children were? By the way, I'm putting all this information from you and what I'm learning on my own, to great use.

ezeagu:

The British made a mistake by destroying Benin, they should have occupied it like the Americans did Japan and then control it economically, but not politically (unless they need to). Leave its sovereignty. Benin would have grown and the British would have been making more money off the former Empire now than they really are (strong trade partner in Africa).

Benin would have probably developed like Japan because they had the same sort of values and government.

Apparently the British did not originally intend to destroy Benin. They wanted to exile the king, install a puppet, and loot the place a bit:

"The whole of the English merchants represented on the river have petitioned the government for aid to enable them to keep their factories (trading posts) open, and last but not least, the revenues of this Protectorate are suffering , I am certain that there is only one remedy. That is to depose the King of Benin , I am convinced that pacific measures are now quite useless, and that the time has now come to remove the obstruction , I do not anticipate any serious resistance from the people of the country - there is every reason to believe that they would be glad to get rid of their King - but in order to obviate any danger, I wish to take up sufficient armed force , I would add that I have reason to hope that sufficient ivory may be found in the King's house to pay the expenses incurred in removing the King from his stool." ["J.R. Phillips to Foreign Office. Advising the deposition of the Benin King." 17 Nov. 1896. Dispatches to Foreign Office from Consul-General, Catalogue of the Correspondence and Papers of the Niger Coast Protectorate, 268 3/3/3, p. 240. National Archives of Nigeria Enugu.]'

But I am certain that the end result would have been the same (fighting and then eventual destruction), since fighting would have commenced anyway after the attempt to remove the king and the British would have burned the capital the same way they burned other African cities (like Kumasi) after their invasions.

Anyway, in 1897, Benin was in a period of decline, due to changes in trade in the region, so I don't think the development and inevitable modernization would have been that rapid.

Booshman:

Physics, you are phenomenal! Do you have any information on the daily life of Benin? For example, what the daily routines of men, women, and children were? By the way, I'm putting all this information from you and what I'm learning on my own, to great use.

I really have to apologize for the delay. I've been very busy with tests and preparing for the physics GRE, so I did not type up the quotes I found about Benin in books. I'm sorry but I might have to delay that even longer, since I have a lot on my plate right now.

If you want to know more about Benin daily life, then you probably don't need to read Egharevba's book (A Short History of Benin), because that is really about the monarchy's wars, disputes, etc. and not about daily life. I still recommend it for providing some background (if you can find it) though.

If you want to know more about Benin culture besides that of the monarchy, I would recommend R. E. Bradbury's two books on Benin:

The Benin Kingdom and the Edo speaking peoples of South-Western Nigeria, 1957

Benin Studies (edited by Peter Morton-Williams, and published after Bradbury's death), 1973

There is way too much information in there for me to attempt to summarize so I strongly suggest going to a large library somewhere to read parts of these books (the parts relating to day to day activities and customs that you're interested in) yourself to get a fuller and more accurate picture of things.

Also, for the best overall book on Benin published so far, I recommend the book Benin, Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria [/i]edited by Barbara Plankensteiner. The book is large physically and is about 530 pages long. This is the kind of book I would recommend buying (although the book is expensive). It contains a very large number of images (hundreds), many of which are absolutely stunning (and many of which I have yet to post in this thread) and a surprisingly huge amount of text explaining every image, and giving a ton of insight into the culture, history and traditions of the Benin kingdom (the book relies on a lot of earlier published work by many scholars). There are really too many images in there for me to scan and upload, and the detailed accompanying text and explanation for many of the images is too long to type, so I recommend checking the book out or buying it if you really want to know more about what the art is meant to represent.

It also has a photo of chain mail  (now in a museum) taken from Benin which I will scan, upload and post later on if I get time, along with photographs of cannon (also in a museum) taken from Benin.

There is also a page or two speculating on the art depicting messengers with flat rectangular objects and the book suggests the people holding these objects may be literate Edo court officials, though it refers to European written languages (Portuguese, in particular). I have no doubt that the c. 1700 and the 1897 events probably prevented any documents written by Edo people, whether in Portuguese or any other system of writing, from surviving to the present.

In addition, it explains some of the different outfits and attire, such as the beads around the legs and wrists that I was speculating about before. The ankle ornaments are called iviawe or eguen (apparently introduced by the Ogiso Ere), and there was a mention of them next to a picture of one of the plaques in the book.

Although virtually everything in there is derived from another source, that book is definitely the best overall [i]synthesis of images, traditions, and other information relating to ancient Benin that has been published in any language. If you need info on Benin, I would strongly recommend going to a university library or a large public library in a major city, and getting a copy of that book. It would be more helpful as reference material than this thread, in my opinion. Here's a link to the book: http://www.amazon.com/Benin-Kings-Rituals-Court-Nigeria/dp/9053496262

PhysicsQED:


I really have to apologize for the delay. I've been very busy with tests and preparing for the physics GRE, so I did not type up the quotes I found about Benin in books. I'm sorry but I might have to delay that even longer, since I have a lot on my plate right now.

Oh, no worries my friend. I'm not going anywhere. Take your time. In the meantime though, I'm going to try and hunt down those books at a few of the libraries I frequent.

"The people still dig amongst the ruins of the palace for the bronzes the OBA and his followers valued so much. Mr. Erdmann, a well known German trader, on his last visit to Benin City informed me that he had seen the palace just after its roof had been burnt off and had taken many photographs of it. He said that the bronzes were ranged along the walls and served as historical symbols, reminding the historian of the chief events of the past history of the BINI people. Unfortunately this much-respected trader died on his way home in the year, 1904." - R.E. Dennett, At the Back of the Black Man's Mind (1906)

An excerpt from the article "Civil War in the Kingdom of Benin, 1689-1721: Continuity or Political Change?" by Paula Ben-Amos Girshick and John Thornton, which cites several sources explicitly. Here's the excerpt from that article with the authors' footnotes giving their sources:


"BENIN IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY

Benin as it appears in documents of the seventeenth century was a wealthy and centralized kingdom. The natural reflection of centralized wealth was its magnificent capital city, one whose archaeology has only begun to be explored.22 Early European visitors never failed to be impressed with the city. The Portuguese compared it with Lisbon, the Dutch with Amsterdam or Antwerp, the Italians with Florence, and the Spaniards with Madrid.23 Its size was matched by dense habitation; houses built close to each other along long, straight streets. The royal palace, a city within the city, was also impressive, with countless squares and patios and innumerable doors and passageways, all richly decorated with the art that has made Benin famous.24
The city was orderly, well laid out, and sparkling clean so that the walls of the houses appeared polished.25 The orderliness of the town was perhaps a reflection of a highly restrictive bureaucratic rule. We use the term bureaucratic here to mean that state- appointed officials, often serving on limited terms and responsible to their superiors, formed a hierarchy that led to the king, which sought to control large areas of social, political and economic life. European visitors certainly felt the supervision as well - Derick Ruiters was given a 'guard' when he visited the city about 16oo, whose real function, he believed, was to prevent him from seeing too much.26 When a palace official decided in 1652 that the Capuchins were not to be taught Edo, they could not find a single person who would teach them a solitary word.27 Control was not limited to supervision of foreigners' movements, Dapper noted that the government had thoughtfully placed a large water jar mid-way on the Ughoton-Benin road, complete with a guard who insured that each drop of water was paid for by the thirsty travelers.28 P. J. Darling has suggested that the elaborate system of earthworks that surrounds Benin City for several miles in each direction and extends out into the rural areas might well be more for control of movement than for defense. These earthworks, which are not in use today and have no modern analogy in Benin, 'face both ways', thus preventing movement out of, or across, Benin as well as into the city.29 This interpretation is strengthened by Alonso de Sandoval's description of Benin's high walls, topped with thick vegetation and occasionally pierced by gates manned by armed sentries who demanded passes from all who come by.30"

[Footnotes:

22 Graham Connah, The Archaeology of Benin (Oxford, 1975).

23 APF: SOCG, vol. 517, fol. 308v, Lourenco Pinto to Propaganda Fide, 28 May 1693 (Lisbon); for comparisons to Amsterdam, see the report of the first visit by Dutch to Benin, 1598 cited in Ray A. Kea, 'Firearms on the Gold and Slave Coasts from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century', Journal of African History, 12 (1971), 187; Dapper, Beschrijvinge, 122; for Florence, see Bonaventura da Firenze, 'Come entrò la fede di Giesu Christo nel regno d'Ouere per la Prima Uolta,' fol. 28v, in Salvadorini (ed.), Missioni (with original foliation of MS marked); for comparisons to Madrid, see APF: SOCG, vol. 249, fol. 351v, Felipe de Hijar to Propaganda Fide, 25 July 1654; de Sandoval, Instauranda, 78-9.

24 Dapper, Beschrijvinge, 122; de Marees, Beschryvinge, I I5a. See especially the reports of the Capuchins who visited the palace: APF: SOCG, vol. 249, fol. 328v and 35I (next folio of letter); and Biblioteca Nacional de Madrid, Antonio de Teruel, Descripcion narrativa de la mission serafrica de los Padres Capuchinos en el reyno del Congo', (c. 1664). This last manuscript contains a long account clearly written by or based on that of Angel de Valencia, a friend and companion of Teruel (but the hand is Teruel's throughout). It was subsequently used by Mateo de Anguiano in his chronicle (Biblioteca Nacional de Madrid Ms 18 178,' Segunda Parte de la Chronica ,  ' 1705) and eventually published by Buenaventura de Carrocera, Misiones Capuchinos in Africa, II (Madrid, 1957). Other elements of de Valencia's material are found in the Arquivo Provincial de los Capuchinos de Valenca, Jose de Alicante, 'Cronica de los Capuchinos de Valencia desde 165o hasta 1722'. Cavazzi's better know account in Istorica Descrizione de tre' regni Congo, Matamba ed Angola (Bologna, 1687), Libro V, contains no new material. An explicit reference to the art can be found in APF: SOCG vol. 517, fol. 3o8v, Letter of Lourengo Pinto, 28 May 1693.

25 Dapper, Beschrijvinge, 122; APF: SOCG, vol. 517, fol. 308v, Pinto to Propaganda Fide, 28 May 1693.

26 de Marees, Beschryvinge, I 15b.

27 APF: SOCG, vol. 249, fols. 332-9, [Alonso de Tolosa], 'Breve Successo de las Cosas Acontesidas en la Mission del Benin', 20o Nov. 1652, published with original foliation marked in Salvadorini, Missioni Appendix 4, and in Braisio, Monumenta 15, 634-39.

28 Dapper, Beschrijvinge, 122.

29 P. J. Darling, 'Notes on the earthworks of the Benin empire', West African Journal of Archaeology 6 (1976), 143-9-

30 de Sandoval, Instauranda, 78.  The authors wish to thank Serena Van Buskirk for her translation of the Spanish text.]

Here's one of the descriptions of Benin cited in that article above concerning a comparison of Benin city to Lisbon by the Portuguese ship captain Lourenco Pinto:


"According to the testimony of this captain, 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. It is so well governed that theft is unknown and the people live in such security that they have no doors to their houses." - Lourenco Pinto, 1693. This quote is reproduced in Alan Ryder's classic book Benin and the Europeans 1485-1897.

books.google.com/books?id=0dol1fMSM-AC&pg=PA12

PhysicsQED:

"The people still dig amongst the ruins of the palace for the bronzes the OBA and his followers valued so much. Mr. Erdmann, a well known German trader, on his last visit to Benin City informed me that he had seen the palace just after its roof had been burnt off and had taken many photographs of it. He said that the bronzes were ranged along the walls and served as historical symbols, reminding the historian of the chief events of the past history of the BINI people. Unfortunately this much-respected trader died on his way home in the year, 1904." - R.E. Dennett, At the Back of the Black Man's Mind (1906)

What luck.

ezeagu:

What luck.

Yeah. When I first read that I did a facepalm for nearly half a minute. There are several descriptions of pre-colonial Benin, but the images of buildings? Very few and some of these are just ruins or places that had already been damaged heavily in the 1897 fire.

This is the excerpt, including the footnotes, from pp. 156-159 of the book Nigerian Perspectives by Thomas Hodgkin, which contains a description (from a 1602 book by Peter de Marees) of seventeenth century Benin by a Dutchman whose initials are given as 'D.R' (probably Dierick Ruiters):


'D.R.' - The Dutch in Benin 1

"The Citie of Benin

The towne seemeth to be very great, when you enter into it, you goe into a great broad street, not paved, which seemeth to be seven or eight times broader than the Warmoes street in Amsterdam; which goeth right out, and never crooketh, and where I was lodged with Mattheus Cornelison, it was at least a quarter of an houres going from the gate, and yet I could not see to the end of the street, but I saw a great high tree, as farre as I could discerne, and I was told the street was as much longer. Then I spake with a Netherlander, who told me he had been as farre as that tree, but saw no end of the street;. . .so that it is thought that that street is a mile long [these are Dutch miles 2] besides the Suburbs. At the gate where I entered on horse-backe, I saw a very high Bulwarke, very thick of earth, with a deep broade ditch, but it was drie, and full of high trees. . . .That Gate is a reasonable good Gate, made of wood after their manner, which is to be shut, and there alwayes there is watch holden. Without this Gate, there is a great suburbe: when you are in the great Street aforesaid, you see many great streets on the sides thereof, which also goe right forth, but you cannot see to the end of them, by reason of their great length, a man might write more of the situation of this Towne, if he might see it, as you may the Townes in Holland, which is not permitted there, by one that alwaies goes with you, some men say, that he goeth with you, because you should have no harme done unto you, but yet you must goe no farther than he will let you.

Their Houses

The Houses in this Towne stand in good order, one close and even with the other, as the Houses in Holland stand, such Houses as Men of qualitie (which are Gentlemen) or others dwell in, have two or three steps to go up, and before, there is, as it were, a gallerie, where a man may sit drie; which Gallerie every morning is made cleane by their Slaves, and in it there is a Mat spred for men to sit on, their Roomes within are foure-square, over them having a Roofe that is not close in the middle, at which place, the raine, wind, and light commeth in, and therein they lie and eate their meate; but they have other places besides, as Kitchins and other roomes. . . .

The Court

The King's Court is very great, within it having many great four-square Plaines, which round about them have Galleries, wherein there is alwaies watch kept; I was so far within the Court, that I passed over four such great Plaines, and wheresoever I looked, still I saw Gates upon Gates, to goe into other places, and in that sort I went as far as any Netherlander was, which was to the Stable where his best Horses stood, alwaies passing a great long way; it seemeth that the King hath many souldiers, he also hath many Gentlemen, who when they come to the Court ride upon Horses, and sit upon their Horses as the women in our Countrie doe, on each side having one man, on whom they hold fast; and the greater their estate is, the more men they have going after them. Some of their men have great Shields, wherewith they keepe the Gentlemen from the Sunne; they goe next to him, except those on whom hee leaneth, the rest come after him, playing some Drums, others upon Hornes and Fluits, some have a hollow Iron whereon they strike, and so they ride playing to the Court. . .There are also many men Slaves seen in the Towne, that carrie Water, Iniamus [yams], and Palme-wine, which they say is for the King; and many carrie Grasse, which is for their Horses; and all this is carried to the Court. The King oftentimes sendeth out Presents of Spices, which are carried orderly through the streets, and . . .they that carrie them goe one after the other, and by them there goeth one or two with white Rods, so that every man must step aside and give them place, although hee were a Gentleman.

Sixe hundred Wives. Gentlemen their making

The King hath many Wives, and every yeere goes twice out of his Court and visiteth the Towne, at which time he sheweth all his Power and Magnificence, and all the Braverie he can, then he is convoyed and accompanied by all his Wives, which are above sixe hundred in number, but they are not all his wedded Wives. The Gentlemen also have many Wives, as some have eightie, some ninetie and more, and there is not the meanest Man among them but hath ten or twelve Wives at the least, whereby in that place you find more Women than Men.
They also have severall places in the Towne, where they keepe their Markets; in one place they have their great Market Day, called Dia de Ferro; and in another place they hold their little Market, called Ferro. . . .They. . .bring great store of Ironworke to sell there, and Instruments to fish withall, others to plow and to till the land withall; and many Weapons, as Assagaies, and Knives also for the Warre. This Market and Traffique is there very orderly holden. . . .

Warres

. . .The King hath many souldiers which are subject to him, and they have a Generall to command over them, as if he were their Captaine: This Captaine hath some souldiers under him, and he goes always in the middle of them, and they goe round about him, singing and leaping, and making great noise, and joy. Those Captaines are very proud of their Office, and are very stately, and goe exceedingly proudly about in the streets. Their Swords are broad, which hang about their necke in a leather Girdle which reacheth under their armes. . . .

Wrong to a stranger

They are very conscionable, and will doe no wrong one to the other, neither will take anything from strangers, for if they doe, they should afterward be put to death, for they lightly judge a man to die for doing any wrong to a stranger. . . .
They respect strangers very much, for when any man meeteth them, they will shun the way for him and step aside, and dare not be so bold as to goe by, unlesse they be expressly bidden by the partie, and prayed to go forward, and although they were never so sore laden, yet they durst not do it; for, if they did, they should be punished for it: They are also very covetous of honour, and willingly desire to be praised and rewarded for any friendship they doe. . . ."



[Footnotes:

1 - From A description and historical declaration of the Golden Kingdom of Guinea. . . .in Purchas (1905), vi, pp. 354-9. 'D.R.', the author of this account, may have been Dierick Ruiters. See Ryder (1965a), pp. 197-8, and (1969), p.85, n.3

2 - A Dutch mile was equal to about four English miles]




^^^

The two sources referenced above in the first footnote of the excerpt are:

Purchas, Samuel, 1905-7. Hakluyt Posthumus, or Purchas his pilgrimes. Hakluyt Society, Glasgow.

Ryder, A.F.C, 1965 (a). 'Dutch Trade on the Nigerian Coast during the Seventeenth Century'. Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria, III, 2, December.

I might as well re-post this quote:

"Legroing tells us : " The city of Benin is situated in a plain surrounded by deep
ditches. Vestiges of an old earthen wall are to be seen ; the wall could hardly have
been built of any other material as we did not see a single stone in the whole journey
up. The houses for the most part are covered with latanier leaves, and those of
the king with large shingles. In front of the king's houses there were two thick
clumps of high trees, and these appeared to us to be the only trees planted by the
hand of man (Labarthe, p. 175)." From Landolphe we learn that a " ditch more than
20 feet wide and as deep surrounds the town, and the soil taken out is made on the
city side into a talus, on which a thorny hedge has been planted so thick, that not
even an animal can get through. The height of this talus deprives one of a view of
the houses at a distance, and one does not see them until entering the town, the gates
of which are very far apart " (II., 48). " The streets are very broad ; in the middle
there is turf on which the kids and sheep feed ; about thirty feet from the houses
there is a level road, covered with sand for the inhabitants to walk on " [ibid, II., 50).
He also mentions several spacious courts surrounded by earthen walls about sixteen
feet high. Along the inside of the walls there ran a gallery fifteen feet wide, thatched
with natanier. The thatching is done by overlapping the leaves which not
being pulled apart, fall one on top of another to a thickness of eighteen inches.
This roof is supported by large pieces of timber cut into the shape of pillars. They
are set up about eighteen feet apart, and carry stout horizontal planks on which
abut the sloping joists which carry the roof, which was an ingenious piece of work "
(ibid, I., 111-112). Of the apartments of the king's wives he says the walls are twenty
feet high and five feet thick, solidly built of earth [ibid, I., 335)." - H. Ling Roth, Great Benin


(kids = goats, just in case anyone is confused by that part)

lol, I went back and checked that "THE IMPERIAL ARCHITECTURE OF GREAT BENIN" facebook page that I mentioned many pages ago near the opening of this thread, and I see that the admin of that facebook page has posted a lot images that I posted on this thread in his facebook page (although he has also posted lots of independent information) and even quoted some of my individual personal comments directly (although without attribution). I guess we're learning from one another through our posts.

Happy New Year from the Great Bengazzi!!!

Osa n’udazi gha kioduwa ne ma vbe ukpo nayena
Oghogho, ofumwengbe kevbe egberamwen ma khian mein vbe ukpo na
Odaro, odaro ma khian ru ghe oooooo, Ise!!!

Happy New Year. @PhysicsQED, you've done a great job on this thread, lots of images and book references. I have seen many of the bronze and ivory photos, but I would like to know, are there any books you can recommend on the Architecture of the ancient city?. There seems to be loads of bronze/ivory art available from authors, but not a lot of photos of the ancient architecture and I think really cool if there were, cos I have seem some and would love to see more.

Cheers mate & keep up the good work.

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@ N_ovbiedo and StarFlux.

Thanks for your comments on the thread.

N_ovbiedo, there don't seem to be many surviving images of buildings from pre-colonial Benin. I've actually already posted most of the images of buildings that are easily accessible. The ones I haven't posted are two images of parts of ruined buildings from after the 1897 invasion and the fire. There are probably a few other relevant images hidden away somewhere, though.

I should mention that a researcher named Zbigniew R. Dmochowski published an obscure three volume set of books called An Introduction to Nigerian Traditional Architecture with images and drawings of buildings from all over Nigeria, including Benin. Volume two discusses Benin and some other places in southwestern and central Nigeria. Unfortunately I have not been able to obtain or access a copy of the book yet, so I'm uncertain as to how much new or interesting information volume 2 contains.

@PhysicsQED. Right. Thats too bad, because architectural artifacts would be really instrumental in retelling the stories of the ancient city, especially for Films and Television. It Would also be good, if someone or the department of tourism and heritage could rebuild a modern rendition of the ancient city and establish it as a museum. The pictures available could be few, but if they are put together, with some surviving structures and other visual blanks filled in, it could be achieved.

Anyway, thanks for the lot you've posted and If/when I do get that book (An Introduction to Nigerian Traditional Architcture) I'll make sure to copy It onto this thread.