Background The origins of the Benin Moats, also known as the Walls of Benin, cannot be attributed to a single ruler or era. Various villages and wards that later coalesced into
Benin City may have initially dug their moats for both defensive and boundary purposes. The moat is an example of large-scale engineering by the
Benin Empire.
Construction The earliest phase of moat construction in the
Benin Kingdom likely predates the
Ogiso kings. Archaeological findings and oral traditions suggest that some moats were in existence before the arrival of the Ogiso rulers. These early moats served various purposes, including socio-political organisation, economic activities, and defense. During the rule of the
Ogiso kings, the culture of moat construction continued and likely expanded. Moats varied in their origins and purposes. Different villages and wards within the
Benin Kingdom had their moats, often constructed for distinct reasons. The
Ogiso kings contributed to the development of some of these moats, maintaining control and organisation within the kingdom. This defensive system comprised moats and ramparts protecting
Benin City, while outer earthworks extended to encompass numerous
villages and communities. The outer earthworks provided an additional layer of protection, effectively shielding the city. Strict access control was maintained through nine gates in the city rampart. Within the city were located the
Royal Palace and chiefs' residences. Access through this fortified earthwork required payment of a toll, contributing to the city's reputation for safety by subjecting visitors, including traders, to thorough scrutiny.
Urban core and protective moats The heart of
Benin City's historical landscape under the
Kingdom of Benin covered an area exceeding . It included the residences of the
Oba (king), nobility, and indigenous inhabitants. The city's layout revolved around two perpendicular streets: the principal sacred
king's palace passage extending from the palace to the east, and a cross street connecting the King's Square to
Oba Market, where
slaves and
ivory were traded. The city's various communities extended along these streets and other minor ones. The Benin Moat, possibly originally over thirty-five feet in width, surrounded the city and acted as a protective barrier. There were two distinct sections of the moat: the primary moat around the urban core and the sacred palace, and a secondary moat constructed later, encircling an area to the south. Together, the moats and walls constituted defenses.
Historical accounts Various European authors wrote descriptions of the earthworks surrounding Benin City, either from first-hand or second-hand knowledge. These accounts date from those of Portuguese traders in the 16th century up to the British
Punitive Expedition in 1897. The earliest written description of Benin City is from the Portuguese geographer and navigator
Duarte Pacheco Pereira in his book
Esmeraldo de Situ Orbis, dating from 1508: The archaeologist Graham Connah suggests Pereira's statement that there was 'no wall' may be due to him not considering a bank of earth to be a wall in the sense of the Europe of his day. In c. 1600 the Dutch ship captain
Dierick Ruiters gave a slightly more detailed description: . Whilst the illustration is not first-hand or historically accurate, it reflects how the city was conceived of by Europeans in 17th century. A famous account is given by the Dutch physician and author
Olfert Dapper in his 1668 book
Description of Africa. Dapper never visited Africa himself, but he compiled his book from the reports of Dutch travellers and missionaries who had explored various regions of the continent: Connah suggests that the 'timber revetting' described by Dapper might have existed at the points where the rampart was breached by gateways, and that this feature was presumed by the author or his informant to have been a general feature along the whole length of the wall. The thickness of vegetation shrouding the rampart at each side of the gate and completely filling the ditch might have obscured the rest from view. In 1820 a British Naval officer, Lieutenant John King, visited Benin city and wrote the following: An account written in 1897 by
Reginald Bacon, a member of the British Punitive Expedition, only briefly mentions the earthworks surrounding Benin City. The expedition force entered through one of the main entrances, which was defended by a wooden
stockade armed with a 'Spanish' cannon: According to Bacon's account the city itself was about a mile beyond the large ditch and rampart, suggesting that the city had shrunk in size from its earlier peak. Bacon describes Benin city as "an irregular straggling town formed by groups of houses separated from each other by patches of bush. It is perhaps a mile and a half long from east to west, and a mile from north to south." == Current state ==