History Questions and Answers

The first European travelers to reach Benin were Portuguese explorers under João Afonso de Aveiro in about 1485. A strong mercantile relationship developed, with the Edo trading slaves and tropical products such as ivory, pepper and palm oil for European goods such as manillas and guns.

The Kiriji War, also known as the Ekiti-Parapo War, was a 16-year civil war, which is referred to among the Yorubas as the longest war in the history of wars.

In the thousands of years of the pre-20th Century history of the Yoruba nation, the Yoruba Peace Treaty of September 23 1886 is a unique document of incalculable importance. In modern Yoruba history, it is a foremost document that was deliberately designed to foster unity and peace among all parts of Yoruba land and among the entire Yoruba nation, Black Africa's largest nation and Black Africa's foremost leader in civilization.

The barter system was implemented at that time and the pre-colonial people enjoyed a life filled with imported goods which reflected their fashion and lifestyle.

The indigenous pre-colonial Nigerian economy consisted of agriculture, local industry and crafts, trade and services. It was the basic pre-colonial activity with the pattern of specialization dictated by ecology and culture. crude implements, such as hoes, cutlass, sickles, etc. were used.