About the video:

When magnificent 16th-century bronze casts were discovered in Benin in 1897, many could not believe they had been made by Africans. It was thought West Africa lacked the technical development required to make them. Dr. Casely-Hayford travels to present-day Nigeria and Mali in search of the truth, exploring what the bronzes mean, how the technology to make them developed and what it reveals about the lost kingdoms of West Africa.
Published on: March 28, 2010 | 
Length: 48:36 | 
Views: 2175
 

Lost Kingdoms of Africa

Home to nearly a billion people, Africa has an incredible diversity of communities and cultures, yet we know little of its past. But researchers and archaeologists are uncovering a range of histories as impressive and extraordinary as anywhere else in the world. Art historian Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of some of the continent's most important kingdoms.