October 31, 2025Open Access

MOWAA Archaeology Project: enhancing understanding of Benin City’s historic urban development and heritage through pre-construction archaeology

Key Points

Excavation reveals critical insights into the heritage of Benin City, enhancing historical understanding.
Key findings include artifacts and structures from the historic urban development of the Kingdom of Benin.
Assessment through pre-construction archaeology offers a unique lens into West African urban histories.
Significance lies in highlighting previously unexamined aspects of heritage relevant to contemporary urban planning.

Abstract

Pre-construction archaeology in West Africa presents new avenues for understanding historic urban development. Excavation of two building plots for the Museum of West African Art, Benin City, Nigeria, provides new perspectives on the Kingdom of Benin, a significant polity in the West African forest zone during the second millennium AD.

MOWAA Archaeology Project: enhancing understanding of Benin City’s historic urban development and heritage through pre-construction archaeology

Key Points

Abstract

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