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The Benin Bronzes are thousands of brass and bronze plaques and sculptures made for the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in today's southern Nigeria. They recorded kings, ceremonies and court life until British troops looted them in 1897.

Benin City, 1897

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The story behind the card

The works were made by a royal guild of casters in Benin City, now in Edo State, Nigeria, from at least the 13th century; many plaques date from the 16th and 17th centuries and honour past kings, called obas. In February 1897 British forces took the city, the palace was burned and thousands of objects were carried off. Britain presented the raid as punishment after Benin soldiers killed most of a British party travelling to the city, but historians see it as part of a push for colonial control. The works were sold and scattered across museums and private collections in Europe and North America. In 2022 Germany transferred ownership of about 1,130 bronzes to Nigeria, and other museums have begun returns.

Türkçe oku
Benin Bronzları, bugünkü Nijerya'nın güneyindeki Benin Krallığı'nın sarayı için yapılmış binlerce pirinç ve bronz levha ile heykeldir. Kralları, törenleri ve saray hayatını anlatan bu eserler 1897'de İngiliz askerlerince yağmalandı.
Benin City, 1897

Eserleri, bugün Nijerya'nın Edo Eyaleti'nde bulunan Benin City'deki saraya bağlı bir döküm ustaları loncası yaptı. Bu gelenek en az 13. yüzyıla uzanır; levhaların çoğu ise 16. ve 17. yüzyıldan kalmadır ve oba denen eski kralları onurlandırır. Şubat 1897'de İngiliz kuvvetleri kenti ele geçirdi, saray yakıldı, binlerce eser alınıp götürüldü. Britanya bu baskını, kente giden bir İngiliz heyetinin çoğunun Benin askerlerince öldürülmesine verilmiş bir ceza olarak sundu; tarihçiler ise onu sömürge denetimini genişletme çabasının bir parçası sayıyor. Eserler satıldı ve Avrupa ile Kuzey Amerika'daki müzelere, özel koleksiyonlara dağıldı. Almanya 2022'de yaklaşık 1.130 bronzun mülkiyetini Nijerya'ya devretti; başka müzeler de iadelere başladı.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Benin Bronzes
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