BENIN

Benin is an ancient civilization from the 1200’s to the 1600’s. They started from the first kings of Ife who claimed the lands. They were famous for their skilled brass making, which was strictly controlled by guilds that answer to the king (new world encyclopedia). They built their empire by raising a large army to hold territory that stretched from the niger river delta to lagos nigeria.
The oba (or king) was in charge of everything, from government to religion to the construction of temples (new world encyclopedia). The ancient benin’s religion consisted of such things as human sacrifice and allowance of slaves (new world encyclopedia). The economy of benin consisted of a large slave trade and a large base of skilled metalsmiths, particularly with bronze. The decline of the benin empire happened when the benin empire killed eight british representative and a subsequent “punitive expedition” was raze the city and burned the empire.
(britannica.com)