This site was populated by the people of Benin.

The people of
Benin were very skilled in many different things such as making
figures out of brass, copper, and ivory, to name a few. These
materials were often used to make into masks to honor the Oba
which meant the king. During this era the people of Benin had a
pleasant lifestyle as they were all ruled over by the the Oba. In
order to maintain stability for his empire he owned all the land in
the country and collected taxes. The Benin lifestyle was also
adventurous as they were able to build up a large enough army.
With this army they would expand their empire towards the Niger
Delta and Lagos in the west.
This was happening during the the 16th century during this time
many British families benefited from the London and slave trade.
Other significant events happening at this time was the Hansburg
marriages of Maximillan and his son Phillip I in 1496 which
brought Burgundy, Austria, and Spain under a single ruler. During
the 16th century slavery was beginning to get more and more
popular due to the interest of Europeans along the coast of Africa.
In the 1590s the Dutch challenged the Portuguese to become the
main trade center. Following the 1590s other companies like the
Danish African companies chimed in and let their interest be
known. This constant participation of slave trading not only
affected Africa in a negative way but also affected America as well
with the segregation of black and white communities. Although
the slave trade brought negative impacts around the world one
positive thing occurred which was the expansion of African
tradition and European culture to the New World.
Thought Question: Why were Europeans so heavily concentrated
on the African slave trade?