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Hello fellow steemians, so as i was heading to the bank this morning i shot out a look out the car window and noticed part of the benin moat and decided to share some amazing facts about it with those who may not have seen.
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The Benin Moat (Iya in the local language) was built as a defensive fortification around Benin City in the great Kingdom during the time it was at its height and when the kingdom engaged in many wars.
FACTS
The Guinness Book of World Records (1974) describes the walls of Benin City as the world's second largest man-made structure after China's Great Wall, but in terms of length, and the series of earthen ramparts as the most extensive earthwork in the world.
The Benin walls consisted of a combination of ramparts and moats. The ramparts ranged in size from shallow traces to gigantic 20-meter-high (66 feet) around Benin City.
It covered a border distance of 16,000km and enclosed 6500km² of community land.
Oba Oguola (1280 – 1295) completed the 1st and the 2nd moats. He decreed construction of 20 smaller moats around other important towns and villages to protect them against invaders.
In the 15th century during the reign of Oba Ewuare the Great (1440 -1473) an extension of the moat which was about 3200km was constructed. This fortified bastion allowed entry to the city from nine gates to be controlled. At night the gates were locked.
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HOW DEFENCE WORKED
As lines of defence, the moats were heavily guarded around the clock. They stopped invaders as they could be seen whilst trying to get through and were killed or captured by the Benin soldiers guarding the gates and walls.
The ramparts which were steep banks of earth stopped invaders climbing over them as they could be buried in sand avalanche and sand on their weapons could disable them.
The high walls made it difficult for attackers and invaders to climb over. Invaders trying to climb the walls were good targets for the Benin soldiers’ spears and poisoned arrows.
The outer walls which were very high provided a thick shield around the city. Their nine gates restricted access to the city.
More information can be found on wikipedia or you could ask me specific questions and i would answer to the best of my knowledge. THANK YOU for reading and feel free to express yourselves in the comment section below. Please remember to follow and upvote me.