Ancient African Town

by Fiona Macdonald, Gerald Wood

A tour of Benin City, a West African town and capital of the Edo Empire, located in present-day Nigeria

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Africa

48 pages, Paperback

First published February 26, 1998

About the author

Fiona Macdonald studied history at Cambridge University and at the University of East Anglia. She has taught in schools, adult education and university, and is the author of numerous books for children on historical topics.

Reviews

[Ensiform · Rating 4 out of 5]

A juvenile’s picture book, a “tour” of Benin, the capital of the Edo empire, around the 17th century. With fairly good line drawings of the virtual layout; these are impressive, but sometimes the eagle-eye view is a bit too expansive, and I wanted a tighter picture of the city section. The illustrations of artifacts, such as the sculptures and tools, are very good. The text is thorough, with knowledgeable notes on crafts, metalworking, the walls, the gates, ceremonies, food customs, clothing, farming, and many other subjects. It’s peppered with tidbits like: e.g., the mud walls of Benin are the second-largest man-made object on Earth. All in all I got a good basic grasp of the Oba’s city.

[Pedro · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a nonfiction book.
Not good not bad.