Study Hub

Study Guides

This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.

Back to Study HubBrowse Year 6 History Guides

Year 6 - History

Why arguments have broken out about the Benin Bronzes

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 why the Benin Bronzes have caused arguments in the present day.

Key Notes

  • Whether or not the British Museum should return its Benin Bronzes has caused lots of arguments.
  • Nigeria argues that they should be returned because they were originally taken from Benin City without permission.
  • Some museums have returned looted Edo artwork to Nigeria, but British law prevents the British Museum from doing so.
  • In the USA, descendants of West African enslaved people are trying to stop the return of Edo artwork to Nigeria.
  • This is because some of the art was made using metals that were traded by Europeans for enslaved people.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • descendants: descendants are people who come after someone else in a family
  • ancestors: ancestors are the people who came before you in your family; they are a family's older generations

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The Benin Bronzes were created for trade with Europeans.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.

Whether or not the British Museum should return its Benin Bronzes has caused lots of arguments. Nigeria argues that they should be returned because they were originally taken from Benin City without permission.

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

descendants are people who come after someone else in a family.

3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.

Mistake: The Benin Bronzes were created for trade with Europeans. Correction: The Benin Bronzes were created to serve as significant cultural and religious artefacts within the Benin Kingdom and made from the manilla used as payment for goods.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 6 History guide library.