Chapter V · West Africa
Forest
Kingdoms
Oyo · Benin · Asante
West Africa
Oyo · Benin · Asante
Chapter V
South of the Sahel, in the dense forests of West Africa's coast, kingdoms built their wealth on craft and trade rather than trans-Saharan gold. Benin's bronzesmiths created some of the world's most sophisticated sculpture. Asante weavers produced kente cloth as a language of rank and ceremony. Oyo's cavalry-based empire stretched across the savannah from its capital at Oyo-Ile.
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Key dates
900 CE
Benin Kingdom founded — bronze-casting tradition begins
1400s
Oyo Empire expands with cavalry across the savannah
1670
Asante Union founded by Osei Kofi Tutu I
1701
Golden Stool descends — sacred charter of Asante sovereignty
1897
British Punitive Expedition loots Benin City
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From the archive
Empires and heroes drawn from the Africanpedia catalogue for this region.
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Chapter V · West Africa
Forest Kingdoms
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