The Benin Bronzes
I can explain what the Benin Bronzes are, where many of them can be found today and what Nigeria has requested of the British Museum.
The Benin Bronzes
I can explain what the Benin Bronzes are, where many of them can be found today and what Nigeria has requested of the British Museum.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
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.
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
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.
To help you plan your year 6 history lesson on: The Benin Bronzes, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 6 history lesson on: The Benin Bronzes, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the Benin: Why have people argued about the Benin Bronzes? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
