Summing up our investigation Final vote- Is Mansa Musa the richest person ever? Which of the three read like historian sources did you find most helpful in making your final decision? Was the Huffington Post blog reliable?

Do now: What is an artifact? What can artifacts teach us as historians? - An artifact is any man-made (art, fabric, metal working) of man-altered (A stone sharpended into a spear) material found within the ground by archaeologists Artifacts give us a sense of how the person who created the artifact may have lived and what was important to them. EX: If a piece of art work is discovered, we can assume that art was important to that culture, and that the society was flourishing because there was enough money and resources to spend on art. We can also assume that whoever is depicted within the art work was important to that culture.

Forest Kingdoms The big idea Worship of more than one god Below the grassland kingdoms, polytheistic rain forest kingdoms developed, such as Ile-Ife & Benin. Both city-kingdoms were located in the nation of Nigeria. Trade made them powerful & wealthy. Power & wealth create stability, and allowed both cities to support large populations.

“Lost wax” bronze sculpture Ile-Ife 1000- Ile-Ife became a major cultural and trading center. Ruled by the onis. Referred to in oral traditions as “the place where the world was created”. Ododuwa “Lost wax” bronze sculpture

Ile-Ife The modern city of Ife was built on top of ancient Ile-Ife, and its rain forest climate does not preserve history well. Many sites have been reclaimed by the forest. Archaeologist have found rusted iron artifacts, and rotted wood & fabrics.

Ile-Ife Baked clay Sculptures have survived the test of time. Once baked, clay becomes impervious to water and survives within the archaeological record.

Ile-Ife These works of art have been dated by scientists to 1100-1300s, and tell historians a bit about Ile-Ife culture. Possibly depict powerful onis leaders.

Benin 1200s- Benin’s main trade sources were copper, iron, gold, and slaves . Slaves were sold to rich families in the Savanna as servants or went on to be force labor in north Africa.

Benin 1500- Benin reaches its greatest strength and size. Benin was ruled by the obas.

Benin The oba controlled a large army, priests, government workers and smaller chiefs. Benin ruled the river trade routes to the N & S, controlling most of southern Nigeria.

Benin 1600- Benin loses its hold over the region. Artifacts from the Benin Empire include bronze, brass, ivory, and copper objects. Some Ile-Ife cultural and art traditions seem to have rubbed off on the Benin.

What types of artifacts were discovered in the rainforests What types of artifacts were discovered in the rainforests? What can these artifacts teach us about the people of Ile-Ife and Benin? Art artifacts made of bronze, copper, and ivory are often discovered in Ile-Ife and Benin. This tell us that art was important within Ile-Ife and Benin society, and that there was a surplus of money to fund artistic projects. It also tells us that the leaders were popular and powerful, since most artifacts are of the onis or obas.