Luciano Benetton is an Italian manufacturer and cofounder of the family-run apparel empire Benetton Group, where he was best known for his unconventional advertising campaigns. Benetton left school at age 14 to work in a clothing store after the death of his father, a businessman. In 1965 he, his

Beneventan script, in calligraphy, southern Italian hand, cultivated in the mother house of the Benedictine order at Montecassino. It has a peculiar jerky rhythm and retains individual cursive forms, which together with many abbreviations and ligatures make for difficult reading. Nevertheless, from

Benevento, city and archiepiscopal see, Campania regione, southern Italy. The city lies on a ridge between the Calore and Sabato rivers, northeast of Naples. It originated as Malies, a town of the Oscans, or Samnites; later known as Maleventum, or Malventum, it was renamed Beneventum by the Romans.

The Battle of Benevento, which occurred on February 26, 1266, was the result of the long-running power struggle in Italy between the Guelfs (supporters of the papacy) and the Ghibellines (supporters of the Holy Roman Empire). The defeat of Manfred of Sicily marked a triumph for the papacy, all but

William I: …Pope Adrian IV in the Concordat of Benevento (1156), winning papal acknowledgment of his authority over all the territories that had come under Norman control.

Benevento, city and archiepiscopal see, Campania regione, southern Italy. The city lies on a ridge between the Calore and Sabato rivers, northeast of Naples. It originated as Malies, a town of the Oscans, or Samnites; later known as Maleventum, or Malventum, it was renamed Beneventum by the Romans.

Benevento: …or Malventum, it was renamed Beneventum by the Romans.

benevolence, in English history, any sum of money, disguised as a gift, extorted by various English kings, from Edward IV to James I, from their subjects without Parliament’s consent. Forced loans had been taken earlier, but Edward IV discarded even the pretense of repayment, and the word

ethics: Early intuitionists: Cudworth, More, and Clarke: …Hobbes, More included an “axiom of benevolence”: “If it be good that one man should be supplied with the means of living well and happily, it is mathematically certain that it is doubly good that two should be so supplied, and so on.” Here, More was attempting to build…

enlightened despotism, form of government in the 18th century in which absolute monarchs pursued legal, social, and educational reforms inspired by the Enlightenment. Among the most prominent enlightened despots were Frederick II (the Great), Peter I (the Great), Catherine II (the Great), Maria

choral music: The mass: …and almost unmanageable pitch by Orazio Benevoli in his mass for the dedication of the Salzburg cathedral (1628) in 53 parts.

Anthony Benezet was an eminent teacher, abolitionist, and social reformer in 18th-century America. Escaping Huguenot persecution in France, the Benezet family fled first to Holland and then to London. Anthony was there apprenticed in a mercantile house, and he joined the Quaker sect. In 1731 he and

St. Bénézet ; feast day April 14) was a builder who instigated and directed the building of the Pont d’Avignon, also known as the Pont Saint-Bénézet, over the Rhône River at Avignon, France. He is the patron saint of bridge builders. An uneducated shepherd, Bénézet claimed that he was divinely

Theodor Benfey was a German scholar of Sanskrit and comparative linguistics whose works, particularly his edition of the ancient collection of Indian animal fables known as the Pañca-tantra, contributed in a major way to Sanskrit studies. Concerned initially with research in classical languages,

Eusébio: The Lisbon team Benfica acquired Eusébio on his arrival in Portugal in 1960; the following year he played in his first game with the club. In the 1962 European Cup final against Real Madrid, he scored two goals in Benfica’s 5–3 victory. He was named European Footballer of…

Kenya: The arts: …inhabited by the Luo; called benga, it is perhaps the most distinctly Kenyan form in the musical repertoire. Taarab, a popular music of the eastern coastal region heavily influenced by Arabic styles, is also played throughout the country.

Bengal, historical region in the northeastern part of the Indian subcontinent, generally corresponding to the area inhabited by speakers of the Bengali language and now divided between the Indian state of West Bengal and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Bengal formed part of most of the early

James Rennell: …map of India and published A Bengal Atlas (1779), a work important for British strategic and administrative interests.

Subhas Chandra Bose: Early life and political activity: …journalist, and commandant of the Bengal Congress volunteers. His activities led to his imprisonment in December 1921. In 1924 he was appointed chief executive officer of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation, with Das as mayor. Bose was soon after deported to Burma (now Myanmar) because he was suspected of connections with…

Bengal cyclone of 1876, deadly cyclone that struck Bangladesh (then part of the province of Bengal in British India) on Oct. 31, 1876, killing approximately 200,000 people. The cyclone formed over the Bay of Bengal and made landfall at the Meghna River estuary. A high tide made the effects of the

Bengal famine of 1943, famine that affected Bengal in British India in 1943. It resulted in the deaths of some three million people due to malnutrition or disease. While many famines are the result of inadequate food supply, the Bengal famine did not coincide with any significant shortfall in food

banyan, (Ficus benghalensis), unusually shaped tree of the mulberry family (Moraceae) native to the Indian subcontinent. The banyan reaches a height up to 30 metres (100 feet) and spreads laterally indefinitely. Aerial roots that develop from its branches descend and take root in the soil to become

mannikin: …or spotted munia, and the striated mannikin (L. striata), also called white-backed munia. The former is established in Hawaii, where it is called ricebird. A domestic strain of the latter is called Bengal finch.

10 Critically Endangered Animals of India: Bengal florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis): A small ground-nesting bustard with a rapidly declining population, the Bengal florican is found primarily in the grasslands and open forests of the Ganges (Ganga) and Brahmaputra floodplains along the Himalayan foothills in India. Its distribution extends to the Terai region

fox: Classification: bengalensis (Bengal, or Indian, fox) Small (1.5–3 kg) and gray; found in sparsely wooded regions of the Indian subcontinent. V. cana (Blanford’s, or hoary, fox) Small (1–2 kg) and catlike, with soft fur and a long bushy tail; found in the mountain steppes and deserts of…

chickpea, (Cicer arietinum), annual plant of the pea family (Fabaceae), widely grown for its nutritious seeds. Chickpeas are an important food plant in India, Africa, and Central and South America. The seeds are high in fibre and protein and are a good source of iron, phosphorus, and folic acid.

flare: They were also known as Bengal lights, probably because Bengal was the chief source of saltpetre.

bel fruit, (Aegle marmelos), tree of the family Rutaceae, cultivated for its fruit. The plant is native to India and Bangladesh and has naturalized throughout much of Southeast Asia. The unripe fruit, sliced and sun-dried, is traditionally used as a remedy for dysentery and other digestive

potassium nitrate (KNO3), an ionic white crystalline salt made up of potassium ions and nitrate ions. Uses of potassium nitrate include the manufacture of fertilizers, pesticides, glass, fireworks, explosives, and rocket fuels. It is also used as a food preservative, and when added to meat it

Amrita Sher-Gil: Return to India: …Nandalal Bose—who belonged to the Bengal school, which represented the first modern movement of Indian art. She considered the school retrograde and blamed it for what she called the stagnation that, in her estimation, characterized Indian painting of the time. An exceptional colorist, Sher-Gil was able to achieve special effects…

loris: …Sunda slow loris and the Bengal slow loris (N. bengalensis) as endangered species since 2015. The organization lists the Javan slow loris (N. javanicus) and the Bangka slow loris (N. bancanus) as critically endangered species.

India: Organization: …base Cornwallis built up the Bengal system. Its first principle was Anglicization. In the belief that Indian officials were corrupt (and that British corruption had been cured), all posts worth more than £500 a year were reserved for the company’s covenanted servants. Next came the government. The 23 districts each…

Indian Association: Impact: …tenant rights and backed the Bengal Tenancy Act (1885), which codified the rights of farmers.

Bengal tiger, (subspecies Panthera tigris tigris), subspecies of tiger (Pantheria tigris) inhabiting the hot and humid forests, and wetlands of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. The Bengal tiger’s appearance is distinguished from other tiger subspecies by its orange coat accented by prominent

Bay of Bengal, large but relatively shallow embayment of the northeastern Indian Ocean, occupying an area of about 839,000 square miles (2,173,000 square km). It lies roughly between latitudes 5° and 22° N and longitudes 80° and 90° E. It is bordered by Sri Lanka and India to the west, Bangladesh

partition of Bengal, (1905), reorganization of Bengal during the British raj, carried out by the British viceroy in India, Lord Curzon, despite strong Indian nationalist opposition. It divided Bengal in two—a Hindu-majority west and a Muslim-majority east—until 1911, when it was annulled and the

Chittagong, city that is the chief Indian Ocean port of Bangladesh. It lies about 12 miles (19 km) north of the mouth of the Karnaphuli River, in the southeastern arm of the country. Chittagong is the second largest city in Bangladesh, after Dhaka. Pop. (2001) city, 2,023,489; metro. area,

Surendranath Banerjee: Three years later he purchased The Bengalee, a newspaper he edited for 40 years from his nationalist viewpoint.

Bengali, majority population of Bengal, the region of northeastern South Asia that generally corresponds to the country of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. Bengali people speak dialects of Bangla—as they call the Bengali language—which belongs to the Indo-Aryan group of the

Bengali language: Writing systems: The Bengali script is derived from Brahmi, one of the two ancient Indian scripts, and particularly from the eastern variety of Brahmi. Bengali script followed a different line of development from that of Devanagari and Oriyan scripts, but the characters of Bengali and Assamese scripts generally…

Bengali language, member of the Indo-Aryan group of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. It is spoken by more than 210 million people as a first or second language, with some 100 million Bengali speakers in Bangladesh; about 85 million in India, primarily in the states of

Bengali literature, the body of written works produced in the Bengali language of the Indian subcontinent, primarily in the eastern region of India and in Bangladesh. Mostly written in the Bengali (or Bangla) script, literary works include poetry, novels, short stories, plays, and nritya natya

Bangladesh: Literature: …foundation for the so-called “Bengali Renaissance” of the 19th century. The renaissance was centered in Kolkata (Calcutta) and led by Ram Mohan Roy (1772–1833); its luminary poet, Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941), composed the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.…

Bengali language: Writing systems: The Bengali script is derived from Brahmi, one of the two ancient Indian scripts, and particularly from the eastern variety of Brahmi. Bengali script followed a different line of development from that of Devanagari and Oriyan scripts, but the characters of Bengali and Assamese scripts generally…

Bengaluru, city, capital (since 1830) of Karnataka state, southern India. Bengaluru is one of India’s largest cities. It lies 3,113 feet (949 metres) above sea level, atop an east-west ridge in the Karnataka Plateau in the southeastern part of the state, at a cultural meeting point of the Kannada-,

Bengaluru, city, capital (since 1830) of Karnataka state, southern India. Bengaluru is one of India’s largest cities. It lies 3,113 feet (949 metres) above sea level, atop an east-west ridge in the Karnataka Plateau in the southeastern part of the state, at a cultural meeting point of the Kannada-,

Benghazi, city and major seaport of northeastern Libya, on the Gulf of Sidra. It was founded by the Greeks of Cyrenaica as Hesperides (Euesperides) and received from the Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy III the additional name of Berenice in honour of his wife. After the 3rd century ce it superseded Cyrene

Solo River, river, the longest in Java, Indonesia. It rises on the slope of Mount Lawu volcano (10,712 feet [3,265 m]) and the southern limestone range (Sewu Mountains) and flows north, then east to discharge into the Java Sea at a point opposite Madura Island, northwest of Surabaya. Its longest

Bengbu, city, north-central Anhui sheng (province), China. The area is mentioned in the early 1st millennium bce in connection with myths surrounding the cultural hero Emperor Yu. Throughout most of Chinese history, however, it was only a small market town and port on the middle course of the Huai

J.A. Bengel was a German Lutheran theologian and biblical scholar who was the founder of Swabian Pietism and a pioneer in the critical exegesis of the New Testament. Bengel studied at Tübingen and in 1713 was appointed professor in a seminary at Denkendorf, where he published his early works on the

J.A. Bengel was a German Lutheran theologian and biblical scholar who was the founder of Swabian Pietism and a pioneer in the critical exegesis of the New Testament. Bengel studied at Tübingen and in 1713 was appointed professor in a seminary at Denkendorf, where he published his early works on the

Benghazi, city and major seaport of northeastern Libya, on the Gulf of Sidra. It was founded by the Greeks of Cyrenaica as Hesperides (Euesperides) and received from the Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy III the additional name of Berenice in honour of his wife. After the 3rd century ce it superseded Cyrene

Bengkalis Island: …only towns of importance are Bengkalis, a port on the western end of the island that ships timber, rubber, resin, and tobacco, and Meskum on the northwestern tip of the island. Travel between the island and Riau province is by steamer.

Bengkalis Island, island in the Strait of Malacca, off the eastern coast of Sumatra, Riau provinsi (“province”), Indonesia. The island, situated about 120 miles (195 km) west of Singapore, stretches northwest-southeast for about 42 miles (68 km); its width east-west is about 12 miles (19 km); and

Bengkalis Island, island in the Strait of Malacca, off the eastern coast of Sumatra, Riau provinsi (“province”), Indonesia. The island, situated about 120 miles (195 km) west of Singapore, stretches northwest-southeast for about 42 miles (68 km); its width east-west is about 12 miles (19 km); and

Bengkulu, city, port, and capital of Bengkulu propinsi (or provinsi; province), southwestern Sumatra, Indonesia. It lies on the Indian Ocean, about 180 miles (290 km) southwest of Palembang. The British had a trading post there in the 17th century, and in 1710 the Fort of Marlborough was built. In

Bengkulu, propinsi (or provinsi; province), southwestern Sumatra, Indonesia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the west and by the provinces of West Sumatra (Sumatera Barat) to the north, Jambi and South Sumatra (Sumatera Selatan) to the east, and Lampung to the southeast. The province also

Gabon: Relief and drainage: Gabon’s highest point, Mount Bengoué (3,510 feet [1,070 meters]), is in the northeastern part of the country.

Pop art: Pop art in the United States: Billy Al Bengston, Allan D’Arcangelo, Ray Johnson, Mel Ramos, and John Wesley.

Frans Gunnar Bengtsson was a poet, biographer, novelist, and writer of numerous informal essays, a genre that he virtually introduced to Swedish literature and that brought him his greatest success. Despite the dilatory pursuit of his studies at the University of Lund, Bengtsson eventually managed

Benguela, city, western Angola. The city was founded in 1617 around São Filipe fortress and was one of the bases for Portuguese expansion in Africa. Benguela is the political and economic coordinating centre for the activities of the hinterland to the east and is linked by rail via the Benguela

Benguela Current, oceanic current that is a branch of the West Wind Drift of the Southern Hemisphere. It flows northward in the South Atlantic Ocean along the west coast of southern Africa nearly to the Equator before merging with the westward-flowing Atlantic South Equatorial Current. The

Angola: Colonial transition, 1820s–1910: …began in 1902 on the Benguela Railway, which was intended to serve the Katanga mines in the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). Portuguese small farmers were settled in the Huíla highlands from the 1880s to counterbalance an influx of Boer trekkers from South Africa, and the…

Benguela, city, western Angola. The city was founded in 1617 around São Filipe fortress and was one of the bases for Portuguese expansion in Africa. Benguela is the political and economic coordinating centre for the activities of the hinterland to the east and is linked by rail via the Benguela

Banhā, town, capital of Al-Qalyūbiyyah muḥāfaẓah (governorate), Lower Egypt. The town lies on the right (east) bank of the Damietta Branch of the Nile River and on the Al-Tawfīqī Canal in the delta area. It is about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Cairo on the highway to Alexandria. Its Arabic name

Edo, people of southern Nigeria who speak a language of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family. The Edo numbered about 3.8 million at the turn of the 21st century. Their territory is west of the Niger River and extends from hilly country in the north to swamps in the Niger Delta.

anaconda: Historically, two additional forms, the beni (E. beniensis) and the dark-spotted anaconda (E. deschauenseei), which are closely related to E. notaeus, have been classified as separate species; however, growing morphological and genetic evidence suggests that both should be classified as yellow anacondas.

Nupe: …territorial groups, of which the Beni, Zam, Batache (Bataci), and Kede (Kyedye) are the most important. The Kede and Batache are river people, subsisting primarily by fishing and trading; the other Nupe are farmers, who grow the staple crops millet, sorghum, yams, and rice. Commercial crops include rice, peanuts (groundnuts),…

Ebola: Outbreaks: …epicentre of the outbreak was Beni, a town that was also the site of violent attacks and protests in a conflict between armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The complexity of the situation in Beni raised significant challenges for health response teams that were mobilized to bring…

Sirionó: …parts of the department of Beni. Unlike other Indians of the Chiquitos-Moxos region, the Sirionó are linguistically Tupians (q.v.) who long ago became separated from the main group of Tupian-speakers through migration; their traditional seminomadic culture was less complex than those of their neighbours. Early efforts by missionaries and government…

Beni Abbès, oasis town, west-central Algeria. It lies in the northwestern Sahara on the western edge of the Grand Erg (sand dunes) Occidental. The Wadi Saoura divides the stony desert and the sand dunes to the east and south. Beni Abbès is a small town of roofed streets that are so dark that

Tigre: …Tigre is that of the Amer (Beni Amer), a branch of the historically important Beja peoples. These Muslims all recognize the religious supremacy of the Mirghanīyah family of eastern Sudan. Another group, the Bet-Asgade (Bet Asgede), converted from Ethiopic Christianity to Islam. The life of the nomadic herdsman, so characteristic…

Beni Hasan, Egyptian archaeological site from the Middle Kingdom (1938–c. 1630 bce), lying on the eastern bank of the Nile roughly 155 miles (245 km) south of Cairo. The site is noted for its rock-cut tombs of 11th- and 12th-dynasty officials of the 16th Upper Egyptian (Oryx) nome, or province.

Beni Isguene, town, one of five in the oasis of Mʾzab (q.v.), central Algeria, in the Sahara. The name is derived from Berber words meaning “the sons of those who keep the faith.” Beni Isguene was founded in the middle of the 11th century by the Ibāḍīyah, a Berber Muslim heretical sect originally

Beni Isguene, town, one of five in the oasis of Mʾzab (q.v.), central Algeria, in the Sahara. The name is derived from Berber words meaning “the sons of those who keep the faith.” Beni Isguene was founded in the middle of the 11th century by the Ibāḍīyah, a Berber Muslim heretical sect originally

Beni Mellal, town, central Morocco. It is situated among the foothills of the Middle Atlas (Moyen Atlas) mountains. The Kasba bel-Kush, at the town entrance, was built in the 17th century and restored in the 19th. Beni Mellal overlooks the Beni Amir plain and is the chief market for the products of

Mʾzabite, member of a Berber people who inhabit the Mʾzab oases of southern Algeria. Members of the Ibāḍīyah subsect of the Muslim Khārijite sect, the Mʾzabites are descendants of the Ibāḍī followers of ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān ibn Rustam, who were driven from Tiaret (now Tagdempt) and took refuge (probably

Beni River, river in Bolivia, formed by many confluents arising in the north sector of the Cordillera Real north of La Paz, the country’s administrative capital. It flows northeast through the densely forested Yungas, or northeastern Andean slopes, and plains. It is joined by the Madre de Dios

Beni Saf, port, town, northwestern Algeria. It lies on the Mediterranean Sea coast midway between Cape Falcon and Cape l’Eau. With the discovery of iron deposits in the surrounding hills, an artificial harbour enclosing 45 acres (18 hectares) of water was built (1876–81) by the Companie de Mines de

Banī Suwayf, city, capital of Banī Suwayf muḥāfaẓah (governorate), northern Upper Egypt. It is an important agricultural trade centre on the west bank of the Nile River, 70 miles (110 km) south of Cairo. In the 9th and 10th dynasties (c. 2130–c. 1970 bce), Heracleopolis (modern Ihnāsiyat

Beni River, river in Bolivia, formed by many confluents arising in the north sector of the Cordillera Real north of La Paz, the country’s administrative capital. It flows northeast through the densely forested Yungas, or northeastern Andean slopes, and plains. It is joined by the Madre de Dios

beni-e, Japanese wood-block prints hand-coloured with a saffron-derived pinkish rose red and a few subsidiary colours. This technique was first used by ukiyo-e (q.v.) artists in 1710 and continued until the development of two-colour printing (benizuri-e) about

John C. Heenan was an American heavyweight champion (i.e., of the United States and Canada) under the London Prize Ring, or bare-knuckle, rules. He fought Tom Sayers for the world championship in a famous bout. On October 20, 1858, at Long Point, Ontario, Canada, in a match for the American

cystinosis: By comparison, nonnephropathic cystinosis is much less severe, being characterized mainly by the accumulation of cystine crystals in the cornea, which can result in photophobia (abnormal visual sensitivity to bright light). Intermediate cystinosis is similar to the nephropathic form but has a later onset, typically in adolescence,…

human disease: Disease: signs and symptoms: The terms benign and malignant, most often used to describe tumors, can be used in a more general sense. Benign diseases are generally without complications, and a good prognosis (outcome) is usual. A wart on the skin is a benign tumor caused by a virus; it produces…

glossitis: Geographic tongue (benign migratory glossitis) refers to the chronic presence of irregularly shaped, bright red areas on the tongue, surrounded by a narrow white zone; normal tongue epithelium may grow back in one area while new areas of glossitis develop elsewhere, making the disease seem…

cancer: Malignant tumors and benign tumors: Tumors, or neoplasms (from Greek neo, “new,” and plasma, “formation”), are abnormal growths of cells arising from malfunctions in the regulatory mechanisms that oversee the cells’ growth and development. However, only some types of tumors threaten health and life. With few exceptions, that…

nephrosclerosis: Benign nephrosclerosis is a gradual and prolonged deterioration of the renal arteries. First the inner layer of the walls of smaller vessels thickens, and gradually this thickening spreads to the whole wall, sometimes closing the central channel of the vessel. Fat then becomes deposited in…

vertigo: …disorders of the inner ear—including benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV; a mechanical inner-ear disorder), Ménière disease (a progressive ear disease), and vestibular neuritis (inflammation of the vestibulocochlear nerve)—can cause the condition. Minor or severe head injury, migraine, and prolonged bed rest are other causes.

bullous pemphigoid, a chronic, generalized skin disorder characterized by an eruption of serum-filled vesicles (blisters). These vesicles form under the epidermis, the outermost, nonvascular layer of the skin, and have walls of stretched epidermal cells. The cause of bullous pemphigoid is not

prostate cancer: …should not be confused with benign prostate hyperplasia, which has similar symptoms and occurs often in older men but is not a type of cancer.

cancer: Malignant tumors and benign tumors: Tumors, or neoplasms (from Greek neo, “new,” and plasma, “formation”), are abnormal growths of cells arising from malfunctions in the regulatory mechanisms that oversee the cells’ growth and development. However, only some types of tumors threaten health and life. With few exceptions, that…

Roberto Benigni is an Italian actor and director known for his comedic work, most notably La vita è bella (1997; Life Is Beautiful), for which he won an Academy Award for best actor. Benigni was the son of a poor tenant farmer who had worked in a German forced-labour camp during World War II. The

Modernism: …to ensure enforcement, the priest-scholar Umberto Benigni organized, through personal contacts with theologians, a nonofficial group of censors who would report to him those thought to be teaching condemned doctrine. This group, known as Integralists (or Sodalitium Pianum, “Solidarity of Pius”), frequently employed overzealous and clandestine methods and hindered rather…

Manoel de Oliveira: …a play by Vicente Sanches; Benilde; ou, a Virgem Mãe (1975; “Benilde; or, The Virgin Mother”) from a play by José Régio; Amor de perdição (originally presented as a TV miniseries, 1978; “Doomed Love”) from a novel by Camilo Castelo Branco; and Francisca (1981) from a novel by Agustina Bessa…

Benin, one of the principal historic kingdoms of the western African forest region (fl. 13th–19th century). Tradition asserts that the Edo people became dissatisfied with the rule of a dynasty of semimythical kings, the ogisos, and in the 13th century they invited Prince Oranmiyan of Ife to rule

Benin, country of western Africa. It consists of a narrow wedge of territory extending northward for about 420 miles (675 kilometres) from the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean, on which it has a 75-mile seacoast, to the Niger River, which forms part of Benin’s northern border with Niger. Benin

Benin Bronzes, loose term used to describe thousands of artworks looted in 1897 by the British army during its violent invasion of Benin City, the capital of the historic kingdom of Benin (located in what is now Nigeria). The works were largely made between the 15th and the 19th century by guilds

Benin City, capital and largest city of Edo state, southern Nigeria. Benin City is situated on a branch of the Benin River and lies along the main highways from Lagos to the eastern states. The city is also linked by roads to Sapele, Siluko, Okene, and Ubiaja and is served by air and the Niger

flag of Benin: The Benin People’s Revolutionary Party expressed its socialist program in a red flag bearing a green star in the upper hoist. The national flag was exactly the reverse—a flag of green, representing the agricultural base of the economy, with a red star for national unity and…