Precolonial Benin Part 1
Precession of the Oba (king) of Benin outside of Benin City circa 1660, Courtesy of New York Public Library
The kingdom of Benin existed from 1440 to 1897. It was located in what scholars described as the Bite of Benin in West Africa. Within the same geographic region other empires emerged including Oyo and Dahomey. Benin City or Edo is where the king or Oba lived within a large wall and a mote surrounded the city. Benin City had long and broad streets dotted with markets with all manner of food stables and other goods. Women entrepreneurs dominated the markets which operated morning and evening hours.
