[size=8pt]First dynasty( bc- 9ad) ogiso[/size]

Benin City started as a cluster of thirty-one villages which were aggregates of family units, at the the beginning of the kingdom this various families where autonomous, with no strong central power or authority,though they were ruled by a king ( ogiso) the ogiso poses little powers over this villages . it is belived that the ogiso was the father of the various clans ,during this early times they were guided by laws and taboos ,The kingdom was said to have had 36 ogiso or more before emerge of the obaship,the ogiso at this times yielded little power, as powers rested more on the various clans than the ogiso,the last ogiso during( 9AD) before the era of the obaship reign had only one male child from one of his wives he got worried ,as the other wives pressured him to seek sloution to thier male barrenness which he called the chief priest, one of the oba favourite wives begged the oba to accompany the chief priest to seek the solution for the other wives, the ogiso allowed ,when the priest consulted the gods he was told the favorite wive had bewitched the other wives from having male children out of jealousy, right there at the shrine she begged the guards and the chief priest for mercy and also bribed them not to tell. which they agreed she went ahead to further plot with the chief priest and guards to assassinate the young prince, the chief priest later returned to the palace and informed the oba that his only son was the reason he couldn't have other male children and that he was needed to be killed, so he could have other male children,the ogiso without having second thought ordered his guard to kill his only son (ekaladeran) to appease his other wives who were pressuring him for thier male barrenness,the guards knowing fully well it was a plot decide to allow the young prince ekaladeran go free into the forest,the ogiso later died after some years ,the story of the plot unfolded to the whole kingdom ,

Second dynasty ogie( 9ad to early 10ad)

a man who had defeated a deadly beast that once terrorized the kingdom stood in as the ogiso sucessor after his death ,some chiefs were in support of him ruling most chiefs was against him because he was not of royal blood they belive since he is not divine like the ogiso it will spell doom for the villages and they sort all effort to fetch ekaladeran with the help of the priest who informed them ekaladeran has seeked refuge at ife,the chiefs later went to ife were they found ekaladeran has a king at ife, and was now old of age he instructed his son oromiyan to go with the benin chiefs ,oromiyan getting to benin found that the benin people were always angry at slight provocation and were always fighting in disagreement, he sought to go to the palace but was scared of being assinated by the present ruler ogiemen" who placed a bounty on his head,ogiemien had put a Bounty on him to be captured if he steos to benin because of the political system at then his army couldn't enter the village ekaladeran settled to capture him
Oromiyan got tired one day and left benin back to ife before he left he had impregnated the enogies daughter of that village, who later gave bith to oba eweka the first,

Third dynasty oba( 10AD till present)

Eweka grew and had to fight the old ogiemien which they later came up with a diplomatic resolution at the end ,it was a new era eweka refusdd to takd the title ogiso, or ogie .ogiemien had earlier crowned himself ogie and not ogiso oba eweka neglected to the two previous tiltes and took a new title o- ba ( shinning one)
He was crowned oba

Oba eware
Oba eware had ascended the throne shortly before the arrival of the Portuguese he is praised has the man who truely united the kingdon into one and expanded the kingdon into an empire he was a warlord at the times the benin obas were still warkings, and before his ascension, benin was still very disorganized and the various villages lived autonomously the oba power was limited to the varioua villages after his coronation he brought all the various village under his rule and strengthen his military he was also a warlord and referred to as oba ewaure the great ,he was very strict king and he made strict laws ,he was always at the war front with his armies ,at his time benin took upon the look of a city he was the king behind the ancient city planning of benin ,after his death in 1453 the portuguese arrived shortly to meet the city he had created the Portuguese arrived at 1474,at thier arrival they ment a planned organized city ewuare had left behind ,they had visited some other kingdoms other neighbouring kingdoms but were not as impressed when they meant benin this alone amazed them which made them call it a city and compared it to europe... They did well to invite othef European to the shores of benin

The empire
The empire unlike other kingdoms was totally built on military power for economic contrtrol , after ewuare had built a powerful military city he expanded it for political power and not necessarily for economic power other oba before ewaure had done the same after the arrival of the Portuguese the kingdom needed to be expanded for economic power to control trade around neighbouring kingdoms, the benins will go into territories that had potential economic power colonized them inorder to control the economic potential, places like lagos, itsekiri were colonized for economic power rather for political motives, the arrival of more Europeans into the city led for more expansion of the empire but the empire had difficulties expanding beyond its control,l it had the military to conquer large territories but was mostly faced with internal rivalry arising from thr palace over sucession this caused political instability and the lack of vast political knowledge to efficiently rule over large vassal state under it ,as most vassal had to be reconquered on several bases like the benin anomia war in the 17century, though the empire didnt cover over large areas of the present southern nigeria but it had economic power over it,independent state who refused the oba economic monopoly were conquered to acess full economic potential the control of economic power over southern nigeria by the British from the oba had resulted to the fall of the empire which is known as the Benin invasion of 1897...

Philosophical belief of the empire
Like everyother kingdoms and empire the benin had its own philosophy they belive thier king( ogiso) had come from the sky and he was a god king who came to rule among them he was Reverend like a god on earth they belive any mortal who sat on the royal stool without a linage to the ogiso dynasty spelt doom for the kingdom on some very few occasions wher it happened it was corrected like the time an oba rebuked any of his sons from being king after his death the man who became king was forced to marry the oba daughter to continue the lineage and that of the story of oduduwa who he son later returned to become king to secure the ogiso dynasty ,the kingdom practice it own unique animism were prayers were first made to oba as a god then to the ancestors of the family The kingdom was purely purely patriarch in nature and not on economic wealth,various villages had thier own special gods and foreign gods were also brought in the gods remained foreign and was never accoladed like the original deities of the kingdom they belive the oba owned the earth and sea ,some foods were very scared to the kingdom like yam they belive yam was a divine food brought by the gods to men and were food to the gods they offered boiled yams and oil to the gods as sacrifice ,egusi and pounded yam offered to the gods on regular bases the kingdom was full of pride and praises to the oba they believe the language was a pride to them and vassalz state were not alowed to speak the language this pride had made the europea traders unable to influence them religiously and culturally,

The benin architecture and planning design
Like every great kingdom had their own separate and unique architectural design where the city was surrounded by moat for protection this was done for fear of unseen invaders to the kingdom the walls surroe the moat all houses were arranged in a straight anx orderly manner with a long straight road along it the houses were built in court ,like a square shape the open space were called ugha( sitting room)
The palace was located at the centre of the city close to the kings market(oba marke) the city grew around the palace in a concentric pattern around the city

This images shows the building structure of the benin houses the walls are lined with horizontal lines as a form of beautification the houses are made of red clayish sands and the roofs are made from fine wolds and dry palm leaves

Some of the houses in Warri are described by Olfert Dapper in 1668 in this manner: “It has fine buildings, particularly the houses of the nobility, roofed with palm leaves, and like those in Benin, but made of grey earth while those in Benin are red. The court of the King is established in the manner of that in Benin but very much smaller.” The houses of Benin and Warri would have had some similarity so it was not that big a mistake on my part

This painting of a compound somewhere in Benin was made by Egerton or one of his aides in 1897 after the fall of Benin. Captain George LeClerc Egerton, “King’s Palace, Benin,” 1897(?). Watercolor on paper, image 15cm x 32.5cm (5.9″ x 12.8″wink. Dumas Egerton Trust Benin Collection, Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, PRM: 1991.13.29. Acquired on long-term loan in 1991

This painting of a section of the Palace (occupied by British officers) was by Egerton after the fall of Benin either immediately after (in 1897) or shortly after from memory.

Note the beams, identical to those that can be seen in that 1897 photograph of one of the courtyards of the Benin palace.

Also note the impluvium

An 1897 photograph of a Benin building.

This is not from that article (“Images of Benin at the Pitt Rivers Museum” by Coote and Edwards) above, for the record.

The king’s wall in Benin City. Benin, Nigeria. Silver gelatin print, 10.2cm x 13.9cm (4″ x 5.5″wink. Photograph by J. H. Swainson, 1892. Macdonald Niger Coast Protectorate Album, A1996-190138.”

[It should be noted that the angle doesn’t give a good impression of the height of the wall:

“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

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 ]

Modern (recent) concept art by Stephen Hamilton giving his artistic interpretation

He labeled this “palace of benin impluvial shrine”



I like how he incorporated



1) the impluvium

2) the thatch on the roof

3) the open roof courtyard

4) the Benin style of columns (note the difference between the bottom and top of the column) as seen in photographs

5) a known, but not yet seen (due to the destruction of the palace) historical fact that was attested to by Dapper’s informant and multiple other visitors to Benin:



“The king’s palace or court is a square, and is as large as the town of Haarlem and entirely surrounded by a special wall, like that which encircles the town. It is divided into many magnificent palaces, houses, and apartments of the courtiers, and comprises beautiful and long square galleries, about as large as the Exchange at Amsterdam, but one larger than another, resting on wooden pillars, from top to bottom covered with cast copper, on which are engraved the pictures of their war exploits and battles, “

—Olfert Dapper, Nauwkeurige Beschrijvinge der Afrikaansche Gewesten



Although the type of columns may have been of earth, rather than wood in the case of the type of columns used for his artistic depiction. Still, there were certainly columns, whether earthen or wooden, on which art was displayed.

This one he labeled “benin palace: akoko tree gardens”



This one I find interesting. I like the strict adherence to the style of building seen in the brass plaques and the photographs. I like the incorporation of the bird of prophecy on the top of the turret as well.



And I don’t know if he already knew this, but the depiction of gardens is backed by historical sources:





“This compound consisted of about a hundred houses, whose roofs

made a good blaze. Behind the buildings there

was a huge garden, which we never had time to

explore, but it must have been quite a hundred

acres, surrounded by a high red wall. It is not

unlikely that it was the walking place of the King,

and formed part of his compound . . .” – Reginald H. Bacon, Benin (1897)



It would be interesting if this thread in some way gave him any ideas or help. grin cool That’s probably just conceit on my part, though. He could have just found out about Benin architecture on his own. Either way, I’m impressed.



I really have to give this guy credit. These are some of the best architectural depictions of Benin seen.

The benin long oave roads and the architectural designs

You can be colorful as much as you want with your history.

You mess it up and exaggerate your relevance when you claim to be the source of an Ocean whose earlier existence and culture overwhelmed you by centuries.

Stay within you limit and accept your defeat when the people of Edo had to call on Yoruba wise men to send their son to govern you.

Why? Wicked Ogiso drove out others like the Urhobo and many fled. He crowned his atrocious behavior by beheading a pregnant woman. Oranmiyan saved them.

Open another topic tomorrow.

googi:
You can be colorful as much as you want with your history.

You mess it up and exaggerate your relevance when you claim to be the source of an Ocean whose earlier existence and culture overwhelmed you by centuries.

Stay within you limit and accept your defeat when the people of Edo had to call on Yoruba wise men to send their son to govern you.

Why? Wicked Ogiso drove out others like the Urhobo and many fled. He crowned his atrocious behavior by beheading a pregnant woman. Oranmiyan saved them.

Open another topic tomorrow.

We the benins had built the southwestern nigeria before the arrival if the British we sold the Yoruba's as slaves that's why you as a yoruba Nigerian can be proud of a Brazilian yoruba instead of spilling trash in an attempt to spite me , you should rather be given we benins gratitude.... For all we have done for the yoruba nation

Akure the capital of ondo has a benin ruling monarch

Ado ekiti has a benin minarch

Eko has a benin monarch

Osun ife the cradle of yoruba people has a benin monarch

How many Ifes are there?

googi:
You can be colorful as much as you want with your history.

You mess it up and exaggerate your relevance when you claim to be the source of an Ocean whose earlier existence and culture overwhelmed you by centuries.

Stay within you limit and accept your defeat when the people of Edo had to call on Yoruba wise men to send their son to govern you.

Why? Wicked Ogiso drove out others like the Urhobo and many fled. He crowned his atrocious behavior by beheading a pregnant woman. Oranmiyan saved them.

Open another topic tomorrow.

You just couldn't read and Waka pass, must you show how jealous you are?

All the sources sited were foreign European credible sources unlike Oyo and Yoruba history that was only concocted recently.

You claim to have Yoruba up the way to Brazil and Cuba, how did they get there as slaves? were they sold by themselves, did Yoruba sold themselves into slavery? Or they were sold by a more powerful and formidable neighbour, the Benins who conquered and sold them into slavery.

The Benin footprints can be felt all over southern Nigeria and beyond regardless of how you feel, the history of Benin is well documented and there is nothing your likes can do about it other than blame your ancestors who couldn't defend themselves against the Benin military onslaughts.