Benin Bronzes

(Newser) - The Netherlands says it will return more than 100 artifacts looted from the Kingdom of Benin, in what is now southern Nigeria, more than a century ago. The Benin Bronzes, plaques and sculptures of metal and ivory that decorated the kingdom's royal palace, were looted by British troops who...

(Newser) - The kingdom of Benin—whose earthen walls were said to be on par with those of the Great Wall of China—stood from the 11th century until 1897. That was the year the British invaded what's now southern Nigeria, burned it down, and made off with the Benin Bronzes:...

(Newser) - Update: With cultural institutions under pressure to repatriate artifacts taken during the colonial era, a museum in London agreed Sunday to return Benin Bronzes looted in the late 19th century from what is now Nigeria. The Horniman Museum and Gardens said a Nigerian commission asked earlier this year that it...