How Benin Kingdom Sold It’s People For Brass Which Was Used To Make Bronze Statues Looted To Germany

 

The Benin Kingdom, also referred to as the Kingdom of Edo, or the Benin Empire is one of the oldest Kingdoms in existence and home to the finest bronze casters and statues.

The Kingdom of Edo ( Arioba’ Edo ) is famous for its bronze statues and plaques. The finest of these works are made out of Brass, Carved Ivory and Wood. 

Recent times have seen the Benin Bronzes which were looted centuries ago, scattered in museums across the world being repatriated to the Benin Kingdom.

Several publications talks about the history of the Benin sculptural works and how it found its way to Europe, Great Britain and America. However, not much is being said of the raw materials used in these works of art.

In a recent article published by the DW Culture, it was revealed that a majority of the famous Benin Bronzes were made out of Brass from Germany’s Rhineland.

From the over 3,000 sculptures which were plundered by the British colonial officials in 1879, in the then Benin Empire, now Edo State, Nigeria, research carried out divulged a shocking twist to earlier beliefs that the brass used in creating West Africa’s most famous ancient works was transported to Benin Kingdom from Flanders or Britain.

The brass which new research has identified to be from Germany can be traced to the pre colonial era. And here the ultimate question arises. How did these brass find its way to the Kingdom of Benin ? 

For decades, researchers have suspected that the brass used in creating the highly coveted Benin sculptures were transported to Benin via Portuguese trade routes in the 15th century. They however were not certain of the specific location in Europe where it originated.

A new study published by researchers at the Technische Hochschule Georg Agricola in Bochum, Germany pinpointed the origin of the metal. This is the first time a scientific link has been established.

Research contribution by Rolf Denk, author of The West African Manilla Currency, identified three main types of manillas used in West Africa between 1439 and 2019.

Manillas also known as tacoais were traded by the Portuguese in Benin Kingdom and modern day Ghana in 1450.

The researchers established the link using Denks classification system combined with chemical analysis of manilas and Benin Bronzes.

Seventy manillas identified from shipwrecks in African,American and European waters between the 16th and 19th centuries were used for the physical and chemical analysis.

The Portuguese in the 15th century arrived in the present day Benin, Nigeria and immediately started trading brass and copper for pepper, ivory and slaves.

The rulers of Benin Kingdom fought and conquered their territories to gain control of supply of goods to the Europeans. The king also known as the Oba of Benin Kingdom was in charge of trading slaves and ivory so all profits went to his palace. Other merchants were only allowed to trade on the Oba’s permission.