Starter quiz
- What are the conclusions that historians draw about people, places and events from the past called?
- artefacts
- generalisations ✓
- sources
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- True or false? Historians’ accounts of the past are always completely true.
- True
- False ✓
- Which of the below do historians interact with to find out about the past?
- written documents and records
- future predictions
- artefacts and physical remains ✓
- scientific formulas
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- Which of these are ancient civilisations?
- The Roman Empire ✓
- The British Empire
- The Victorian Era
- Ancient Egyptians ✓
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- What is the correct meaning of the term 'legacy'?
- the long-lasting impact of a historical event, action, person or people ✓
- the wealth left behind by a family member to a different person
- the short-term impact of a historical event, action, person or people
-
- What is a person who excavates sites and examines artefacts and other physical remains called?
- a historian
- an archaeologist ✓
- a geologist
- an anthropologist
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Exit quiz
- In which modern-day country was the kingdom of Benin located?
- Cameroon
- Ghana
- Nigeria ✓
- Benin
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- Which statements about the Benin Bronzes are correct?
- The Benin Bronzes are all made of pure bronze.
- The bronzes were mostly created between the 13th to 16th centuries. ✓
- The bronzes were discovered recently in Nigeria.
- They show pictures and symbols that tell stories about the history of Benin. ✓
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- Who took the Benin Bronzes when they invaded the city in 1897?
- The Egyptian army
- The French army
- The British army ✓
- The German army
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- Complete the sentence. The history, traditions and artefacts that are handed down by previous generations are called a...
- 'heritage' ✓
- Which museum in London houses and displays hundreds of the Bronzes?
- 'British Museum' ✓
- Which of the following are reasons why Nigeria have asked for the Benin bronzes to be repatriated?
- The artefacts are an important part of their historical and cultural heritage. ✓
- They are worth a lot of money and could make the country wealthy.
- To share the artefacts with everyone in their own country. ✓
- They believe that the artefacts were stolen from their country. ✓
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- For almost 125 years roughly 5,000 bronze artifacts have been exhibited in museums across the world.
- They were produced in the historic West African Kingdom of Benin which was located in what is now Nigeria.
- In the British Museum in London there are hundreds of these objects.
- In 2021 the British Museum received a request from Nigeria to return the bronzes.
- So far, the British Museum has not returned the bronzes, which has caused lots of arguments.
Common misconception
The modern republic of Benin and the kingdom of Benin are the same place.
The modern republic of Benin has no historical relation to the kingdom of Benin.
Keywords
Benin - Benin, or the Kingdom of Benin, was a kingdom within what is now southern Nigeria and home to the Edo people
Artefact - an artefact is an item of historical interest made by people in the past
Nigeria - Nigeria is a large West African country situated on the Atlantic Ocean
Heritage - a heritage is the history, traditions, and artefacts that are handed down by previous generations
Repatriation - repatriation means to send something back to the country it came from
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