22/09/2024
Unveiling Africa’s Engineering Marvel: The Overlooked Grandeur of the Benin Walls Compared to the Great Wall of China*
The Benin Walls and the Great Wall of China are two remarkable examples of ancient engineering, both serving defensive purposes but differing significantly in scale, construction, and historical context.
Benin Walls (Walls of Benin City
1. Location and Context: The Benin Walls, also known as the Walls of Benin City, were located in what is now modern-day Nigeria. They enclosed the ancient Kingdom of Benin, which was a pre-colonial African state in what is now southern Nigeria.
2. Construction and Structure:
- The walls were a series of earthworks made primarily from a combination of ditches and banks (or ramparts) made of earth.
- They were originally constructed between the 13th and 15th centuries.
- The materials used were locally sourced, including laterite—a reddish clay often used in African construction due to its abundance and ease of manipulation.
3. Scale and Length:
- The Benin Walls consisted of multiple concentric walls, with the largest circuit enclosing the city of Benin.
- The longest section is said to have been about 16,000 kilometers, though estimates vary, with some suggesting lengths of around 6,500 kilometers.
4. Purpose: Like many ancient walls, they served defensive purposes and marked territorial boundaries. They also had cultural significance, delineating the sacred area of the city and its inhabitants.
Great Wall of China
1. Location and Context: The Great Wall of China stretches across northern China, built over several dynasties, most notably during the Ming Dynasty (14th to 17th centuries), though initial construction began much earlier (around the 7th century BC).
2. Construction and Structure
- It was constructed using a mix of materials over different periods, including earth, wood, bricks, and stone, depending on the local resources available.
- The wall features watchtowers, fortresses, and beacon towers along its length, highlighting its military function.
3. Scale and Length:
- The Great Wall stretches over approximately 21,196 kilometers (13,171 miles), though individual sections may vary in terms of preservation status.
- It is known as one of the largest construction projects ever undertaken.
4. Purpose: Primarily built as a defense against invasions and raids from nomadic groups from the north, such as the Mongols, it also served as a means to control immigration and emigration, regulate trade, and assert territorial control.
Comparison
- Scale and Visibility: While the Great Wall of China is more prominent and visible today, the Benin Walls were extensive networks that, in their prime, spanned great lengths, though largely lost to urban development and time.
- Materials and Methods: The Benin Walls relied heavily on earthworks due to local availability of resources, whereas the Great Wall's construction utilized brick, stone, and other materials indicating different regional methods and architectural practices.
- Cultural and Historical Impact: Both walls are significant in their respective cultures as symbols of engineering prowess and social organization, but they played roles specific to their historical contexts: the Great Wall in terms of military defense and the Benin Walls in terms of societal organization and defense.
Both walls are testaments to the sophisticated engineering and societal organization of their respective cultures and highlight the diversity of human ingenuity across different parts of the world.
