esere826:

lol.

This is some evidence: As a kid, I looked down at a portion of the 'moat', and it was scary and I can still remember it vividly. This actually got me to studying more about it. The 'valley' portion of the part that I looked down on was still deep, probably some 20something feet, while the 'mound' part wasn't that high.

For anyone that understands the physical and social sciences especially as it relates to this region of africa , it should come naturally to the person that weathering mainly due to erosion would have taken its toll on it through the hundreds of years of its existence. It would also make sense that unregulated builders would have maxed out the 'mound' parts to provide cheap laterite fillings for building construction work.

Hope this helps u Thomas

Really?? This is your evidence aaaaarrrrgggghhhhhhhh!!!!! Only last week, an 11th century shrine "Abode of the Afterlife" was destroyed by terrorists in Mali, but this is what you have as evidence of MANKIND's LARGEST EVER CONSTRUCTION?

kokosheen: Sometimes I wonder what happened to our education system! haba.

1) You are quoting from wikipedia, a good source for info., but u should know by now that its not a source of fact.... Its an open source that anyone (tom,dick&harry)can contribute to
2) How come the so called largest structure in the world is being compared to Sungbo's Eredo! Mehn, u see pyramids, stonehedge, etc and you comparing something built with mud & sticks. FYI, I have read about the benin wall and it was at most 4 feet high and didn't even go round the present benin town.
3) How can a British expedition burn down the wall! Expedition that cannot be more than a 100 men burn down Mankind's largest ever construction. Haba!!

OP, I know its good to project your town and ancestry (bla bla bla bla), but u shouldn't be quick to quote stuff that can't stand up to logic. My apologies for being too blunt, I reviewing someone's crazy CV and I tot I could take a break on NL.

"Stonehedge"?? Am I seeing/hearing/reading correctly

ROFLMAO
Jeez, Jeez, Jeez!!!!!!. My brother, no vex o, but I honestly don't think u're qualified to review someone's CV.

My friend, do you know that till now, the brits don't have an idea of what the stonehedge was set up for
Do you also know that this is just a collection of some fe stone withou any defined pattern
Do u know that the brit's are actually se'xing up this 'your great wonder' to make it gain historical status

Jeez!!!!

Although u made a fine point on the ills of using Wikipedia as a referencing tool, however from the general thrust of ur comment I can boldly say that...Our educational system is indeed in trouble oooo, from the likes of u that have been give ascendency to review other ppls cv's and sieve out brigther brains as is evident in ur contribution.

Kobojunkie:

Really?? This is your evidence aaaaarrrrgggghhhhhhhh!!!!!

dull u are my friend

esere826:

dull u are my friend

Really?? This is your evidence aaaaarrrrgggghhhhhhhh!!!!! Only last week, an 11th century shrine "Abode of the Afterlife" was destroyed by terrorists in Mali, but this is what you have as evidence of MANKIND's LARGEST EVER CONSTRUCTION?

Kobojunkie:

Really?? This is your evidence aaaaarrrrgggghhhhhhhh!!!!! Only last week, an 11th century shrine "Abode of the Afterlife" was destroyed by terrorists in Mali, but this is what you have as evidence of MANKIND's LARGEST EVER CONSTRUCTION?

I'm not concentrating on the phrase "largeset ever construction" thomas,
what I'm emphasizing is the "uniqueness of the construction" in the anals of the world's history and the 'ignoble' and self defeatist attitude of some NL commentators which I hope ur not a part of

U appear to be a bright lad, so I'll forgive ur present transigent posture. You'll smartly grow out of it

esere826:

I'm not concentrating on the phrase "largeset ever construction" thomas,
what I'm emphasizing is the "uniqueness of the construction" in the anals of the world's history and the 'ignoble' and self defeatist attitude of some NL commentators which I hope ur not a part of

U appear to be a bright lad, so I'll forgive ur present transigent posture. You'll smartly grow out of it

Uniqueness of what what construction? a wall in Benin city unique? what, apart from the claim by the @Op could be unique about this, assuming this even existed as claimed by the @OP?

There is nothing self-defeatist about asking that we not LIE or sexy-up history without evidence. There is nothing self-defeatists about commentators demanding that even Africans not try to twist the truth of our past to score some inane brownie points against "the white-man". At the end of the day, that is all what this is really about. A Black-man who claims to be superior to the "white-man" thinking that by lying, he can score one against the "white-man" who he seems to have a serious one for.

Are these statues not bigger and older than Nebuchadnezzar? Self hating negroes smh..

The thread is about the walls of Benin - if you disagree with what the OP posted, ignore the thread and move on to another thread..

I hate when stupid people just post junks on every thread.

Some folks are still "tabula rasa's", an empty slate just seeking Attention and rejecting anything African!

cashmentor: Some folks are still "tabula rasa's", an empty slate just seeking Attention and rejecting anything African!

Just ignore them...

Self hating negroes!!

Kobojunkie:

Uniqueness of what what construction? a wall in Benin city unique? what, apart from the claim by the @Op could be unique about this, assuming this even existed as claimed by the @OP?

And i thot I noticed a spark of brightness in u. eiya

For a while, I thot u cld be engaged in some meaningfuly and and intellectual discussiions thomas. But now I see that ur incorrigible.

No problems dude. Wallow in ur seat of scoffers. It should make u the next 'unassuming' president running to western powers and spewing the supposed weaknesses and uselessnes of ur people to the 'great powers' .

cashmentor: Some folks are still "tabula rasa's", an empty slate just seeking Attention and rejecting anything African!

Nobody has so far rejected anything African . .. what they are rejecting are the lies so many continue to cook up in the name of being superior or equal to the "white-man". That is attention seeking . . . and I doubt the "white-man" visits this forum much. But don't expect the Africans here to stand by and let you continue to lie though.

esere826:

And i thot I noticed a spark of brightness in u. eiya

For a while, I thot u cld be engaged in some meaningfuly and and intellectual discussiions thomas. But now I see that ur incorrigible.

No problems dude. Wallow in ur seat of scoffers. It should make u the next 'unassuming' president running to western powers and spewing the supposed weaknesses and uselessnes of ur people to the 'great powers' .

Again . . .

Kobojunkie:

Uniqueness of what what construction? a wall in Benin city unique? what, apart from the claim by the @Op could be unique about this, assuming this even existed as claimed by the @OP?

There is nothing self-defeatist about asking that we not LIE or sexy-up history without evidence. There is nothing self-defeatists about commentators demanding that even Africans not try to twist the truth of our past to score some inane brownie points against "the white-man". At the end of the day, that is all what this is really about. A Black-man who claims to be superior to the "white-man" thinking that by lying, he can score one against the "white-man" who he seems to have a serious one for.

Kobojunkie:

But don't expect the Africans here to stand by and let you continue to lie though.

na wah O! Where did i lie again? What did i say? Do you ever admit when u're wrong, for once!

cashmentor: na wah O! Where did i lie again? What did i say? Do you ever admit when u're wrong, for once!

I didn't state that YOU LIED but when you do, don't expect us to say nothing because the other side is the "white-man"!

Also, where is your evidence that this wall was truly mankind's largest ever construction? You do know that is what this thread is about? I would expect a black-man source. If we are to believe the white-man does not say anything good of Africans, then the @OPs post is not applicable given the statement contained were likely made by whitemen.

The Mistake is with the title of the thread!

The fact is, "the Benin walls and Moats is Considered to be the largest Man Made structure- lenghtwise: second only to the Great Wall of China?
Now do u still have any problem with that? Mark the words "Largest Man Made" thats the point of all the wahala here.. Good Nite!

cashmentor: The Mistake is with the title of the thread!

The fact is, "the Benin walls and Moats is Considered to be the largest Man Made structure- lenghtwise: second only to the Great Wall of China?
Now do u still have any problem with that? Mark the words "Largest Man Made" thats the point of all the wahala here.. Good Nite!

The Benin earthworks are mankind's largest EVER construction as measured and attested by qualified personnel. As for the dunce who demanded ''evidence'', I did state that the wall could be seen quite easily by opening Google Earth and typing ''Benin City'' and seeing it with your own eyes. You can even take some measurements yourself using the co-ordinates. But of course that's wayyyy too much effort for ignorant, worthless vagabonds more adept at quoting rubbish like '13th warrior' and what not, than evincing the merest value and respect for their own heritage.

(And please, let no one ask me to be civil. I can never be civil to self-loathing, worthless, peabrain drones) (Spit)

jjj

kokosheen: OP, is the benin wall as long as the wall of china

Are you blind or are you just dumb? Did you not read the post, to be asking such a question??

I wrote:

Fred Pearce wrote in New Scientist magazine:

"They extend for some 16,000 kilometres in all, in a mosaic of more than 500 interconnected settlement boundaries. They cover 6,500 square kilometres and were all dug by the Edo people. In all, they are four times longer than the Great Wall of China, and consumed a hundred times more material than the Great Pyramid of Cheops [in Giza, Egypt]. They took an estimated 150 million hours of digging to construct, and are perhaps the largest single archaeological phenomenon on the planet.''


How can something be right before your face in black and white and you turn around like a drunken goat and ask ''Is it longer than the wall of china?''

Again I must stress, this thread is for serious-minded people, not ignorant, conditioned lowlifes who can't see anything worthy in blacks or Africa. If you're that type of person, do NOT expect me to be civil to you. I will not. The problem we've had is that we've been far too civil to people who trash our heritage. They need to be treated like the animals they are. Right now as we speak, their type are using parts of the wall to construct their houses in Benin. They are far too thick and colonised to even consider for a second the gravity and import of their actions. Personally I think such abusers of that wall deserve no less than the death penalty.

Go to Stonehenge in England. It's just a collection of rocks piled on top of the other within a space less than the penalty box of a football field. Even as a visitor, they won't let you touch anything there. Look but don't touch. In our own case, we're using it to build houses. And then some nasty idiots are still coming in here with their dunce selves to talk rubbish? Believe me I will NOT be civil. If you have something reasonable to contribute, as opposed to trashing our history, you're welcome. If not, get ready for me to trash, insult, and curse your entire family here. Thanks.

Not to get off topic, but I've always believed that Stonehenge was nothing more than an old graveyard for the highest ranking members of some ancient chiefdom. All the speculation about it being astronomical and even the religious theories have always been mere conjecture to me. I never saw what all the fuss was about with regard to that structure. It's not visually impressive, not symmetric, not orderly (the look of the individual stone pieces), not particularly tall, etc., so what's the big deal? Because the stones were heavy? (As if hundreds of people together couldn't devise a way to lift them ).

The hype over Stonehenge is a pretty bad (or good, depending on how one looks at it) case of cultural propaganda in my opinion.

The Benin City Moat is not an Oduduwan myth.It is a living,breathing piece of verifiable history.It is arguably the most extensive manmade earthwork known to mankind.Even with the years,weather,man and animals battering at it,the moat has retained its awe and continue to confound even some natives as to whether its construction was truly possible in an age of no mechanised earthmovers and university trained engineers.
The Benin City moat was constructed to ward of invaders into Benin City.Some outlying towns and villages also had defensive moats. None however came close to the one in the Empire's capital.At its height,it must have reached at least thirty feet high and the ditch accompanying it,another thirty feet deep.Go by Majek Fasek's ancestral home,stand at Iguisi n'uvun or the one at Iyaro(Iya oghe Ero)and you will comprehend the fullness of the moat at its construction even after all these centuries.
The Great Wall Of China, the Pyramids of Egypt,even Stonehenge and other manmade constructs around the world are revenue making for their respective countries.The Benin City Moat,packaged by a responsible agency and a government enabling policy(not the present visa denial to even Nigerians with foreign passport),would rival these places or even surpass them.
And for the doubters on nairaland: it is at a place near you.Take a trip.

Why on earth is this in the politics section... it doesn't belong here!

see kobojunkie sef,...cooning as usual.

Whatever happened to this thread? Hopefully some grown-ups can enter the discussion.

Rossikk: I just got off Google Earth. The size of the Benin wall is really amazing. There's an inner wall and then the huge outer wall as shown in the diagram above. Incredible sight clearly visible from space.

part of the wall i could find

Here's a report from 1999 on the place...



The News (Lagos)

Nigeria: Benin City Walls Monumental Neglect
BY VICTOR OFURE OSEHOBO, 20 DECEMBER 1999

http://allafrica.com/stories/199912200188.html


Lagos — They took hundreds of years to build. They are to be found in the United Nations World Heritage list of ancient monuments to be preserved for all of mankind. But for residents of Benin, the ancient walls and moat of the city, are only good as refuse dumps and sources of building materials.

It is a common sight in the city to see youths pushing wheel barrows filled with heaps of laterite, dug from the walls of the moat. They sell them to those building houses. For the older folks, the walls are good sites for vegetable farms and commercial gardens. Over the years, even government has found itself participating actively in destroying the Benin City walls and moat through issuing certificates of occupancy to persons to build houses on reclaimed portions of the heritage and converting substantial portions into drainage channels in desperate bids to keep the city flood-free.

The Great Benin Moat


The Benin City Wall And Moat Can Make Edo State Become A Tourism Destination

http://ihuanedo.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-benin-city-wall-and-moat


The Benin moat, also known traditionally as Iya, is the largest man-made earthworks in the world. One of the wonders of the world. It predates the use of modern earth-moving equipment or technology in these parts. The moat encircles the old perimeter precincts of the City and was constructed as a defensive barrier in times of war. Oba Oguola {1280-1295} dug the first and second moats to fortify the City from invaders.

Oba Oguola further decreed that important towns and Villages should build similar moats as defence systems around their communities.This gave rise to twenty of such moats around Benin City and its environs. Oba Oguola succeeded in crushing Chief Akpanigiakon and his powerful armies at the battle of Urhezen about 1285 CE. An extension of the moat was constructed in the 15th century during the reign of Oba Ewuare the Great (1440-1473 CE).The Benin moat is over 3200 kilometers long. ” – http://www.edostateassociation.com/useful-info.html


Defensive Fortification of Ancient Benin City: The Benin Moat

Edo, the people of Igodomigodo famously known for almost a millennium as Benin, had built a moat complex to protect themselves in the wars they fought. The defensive fortification of Benin City, the capital,
consisted of ramparts and moats, call iya, enclosing a 4000 square kilometer (2485.5 miles) of community lands. In total, the Benin wall system encompasses over 10,000 kilometers (6213.7 miles) of earth boundaries.

Patrick Darling, an archaeologist, estimates that the complex was built between 800 and 1000 up to the late fifteenth century (Keys 1994: 16). Advantageously situated, the moats were dug in such a manner that earthen banks provided outer walls that complemented deep ditches. According to Graham Connah, the ditch formed an integral part of the intended barrier but was also a quarry for the material to construct the wall or bank (Keys 1994: 594).

The ramparts range in size from shallow traces to the immense 20-meter-high (66 feet) around Benin City (Wesler 1998: 144). The Guinness Book of World Records describes the walls of Benin City as the world's second largest man-made structure after China's Great Wall, in terms of length, and the series of earthen ramparts as the most extensive earthworks in the world.

During the second half of the 15th century, Oba Ewuare the Great (ruled 1440-1473 AD) ordered a moat to be dug in the heart of the city. The earthworks served as a bastion and also afforded control of access to the capital which had nine gates that were shut at night. Travel notes of European visitors also described the Benin walls (e.g. Pacheco Pereira 1956: 130-147; Dapper 1668). It was finalized around 1460, at that time being the world's largest earthworks.

[b]Early European visitors never failed to be impressed with Benin City's grandeur and level of organization. Benin as it appears in documents of the seventeenth century was the natural reflection of centralized wealth with its magnificent capital city Benin. Reports from the anonymous Dutchman D.R. (c. 1600) and David van Nyendael (some fifty years later) described Benin City as an extraordinarily extensive and flourishing city which easily matched the European metropolis of it time (Hodgkin 1960: 119-120; Ben-Amos 1995: 42ff).

The Portuguese compared it with Lisbon, the Dutch with Amsterdam or Antwerp, the Italians with Florence, and the Spaniards with Madrid (Kea 1971: 187). 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. The city was orderly, well laid out, and sparkling clean so that the walls of the houses appeared polished (Dapper 1693: 122). ''The people's clothes; some are dressed in white, others in yellow, others in blue or green; and the city captains are regular judges who resolve lawsuits, debates and conflicts''. [source- http://ihuanedo.ning.com/profiles/blogs/west-africa-precolonial-benin ][/b]

http://www.beninmoatfoundation.org/

I really hope there are funds being put towards conservation efforts because this is pure history

Imagine the tourism that this could bring. The economic growth, the businesses it could flourish, the hotels, and restaurants all providing a piece of life back then...the flights, the movies made of it, the excursions for students, the gift shops, and so much more. This place really needs to be developed and maintained.

Edo the great