Object description

The Kingdom of Benin, was a kingdom in West Africa in what is now southern Nigeria. It is not to be confused with Benin, the modern-day nation-state. The Kingdom of Benin's capital was Edo, now known as Benin City in Edo state. The Benin Kingdom was "one of the oldest and most highly developed states in the coastal hinterland of West Africa". It was formed around the 11th century AD", and lasted until it was annexed by the British Empire in 1897.