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Year 6 - History

Benin and Europe

Benin: Why have people argued about the Benin Bronzes?

Unit Summary

If pupils study Benin, they learn about Benin's culture and society and how its looted artworks have caused modern controversy. If they study the Maya, they build knowledge of this civilisation to analyse what made them so distinctive.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain how contact with Europeans led to the Benin Bronzes being looted.

Key Notes

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

Vocabulary To Learn

  • 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 Mistakes To Avoid

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

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.

In the 1500s CE Portugese merchants began to trade goods like guns with Benin in exchange for enslaved people. The Dutch, French and English entered this trade in the 1600s CE, making Benin rich and powerful.

2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'enslaved'

when a person is enslaved it means that they are forced to be a slave.

3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.

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

More Lessons In This Unit

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