What if I told you that deep in West Africa there was a kingdom whose city walls were four times longer than the Great Wall of China?

A kingdom whose artists cast metal sculptures so lifelike, so breathtaking, that when Europeans first saw them, they refused to believe

they were made by Africans.

This is the story of the Yoruba people and the mighty kingdom of Benin.

It's a story that begins with gods creating the world from a handful of sand

and leads to a powerful empire ruled by an Oba,

a king descended from those very gods.

We'll journey back to the sacred city of Ilaife,

explore the grand palaces of Benin's city and meet legendary figures like

Iwari the Great and the Warrior Queen Idia.

But this is also a story of conquest of a brutal clash with the British Empire that saw

a kingdom burned, a king exiled and thousands of

priceless treasures stolen. Join us as we uncover the history, the art and the enduring legacy

of Benin and ask the question, who owns history?

The History of the World podcast, written and presented by Chris Hasler.

Volume 4, The Medieval World Episode 94, Ife and Benin.

Music Iphi and Benin Iphi and Benin Our episode this time takes us to the area of Africa centered on southwest Nigeria, a home to an ancient ethnic culture called the Yoruba people.

The Yoruba can trace their origins back possibly up to 3,000 years and this is likely they

developed from earlier populations already inhabiting the region rather than arriving through

mass migration.

However, another school of thought suggests that they displaced an earlier culture often identified as the Ebo people.

There is certainly archaeological evidence to indicate that people were settling the area as far back

...