Study Guides

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 what the Benin Bronzes are, where many of them can be found today and what Nigeria has requested of the British Museum.

Key Notes

• For almost 125 years roughly 5,000 bronze artifacts have been exhibited in museums across the world.
• They were produced in the historic West African Kingdom of Benin which was located in what is now Nigeria.
• In the British Museum in London there are hundreds of these objects.
• In 2021 the British Museum received a request from Nigeria to return the bronzes.
• So far, the British Museum has not returned the bronzes, which has caused lots of arguments.

Vocabulary To Learn

• Benin: Benin, or the Kingdom of Benin, was a kingdom within what is now southern Nigeria and home to the Edo people
• artefact: an artefact is an item of historical interest made by people in the past
• Nigeria: Nigeria is a large West African country situated on the Atlantic Ocean
• heritage: a heritage is the history, traditions, and artefacts that are handed down by previous generations
• repatriation: repatriation means to send something back to the country it came from

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• The modern republic of Benin and the kingdom of Benin are the same place.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Benin and Europe Study Guide
• Benin City Study Guide
• Edo religion Study Guide
• The Oba of Benin Study Guide
• Why arguments have broken out about the Benin Bronzes Study Guide