THE GREAT BENIN IYA

MASTER EVIDENCE DOSSIER

SURVIVAL • EVIDENCE • PRESERVATION • ACTION

ẸDOMAYE LEGACY FOUNDATION

“What survives today must become tomorrow’s evidence.”

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1. PURPOSE

The Great Benin IYA Master Evidence Dossier is an evidence-led record dedicated to documenting, understanding, preserving and monitoring the surviving IYA of the Great Benin Kingdom.

Its purpose is not simply to tell the story of the earthworks, but to establish a responsible framework through which historical records, archaeological research, modern observations, remote sensing and future documentation can be brought together.

This is a living evidence record.

It is designed to be strengthened as new archaeological research, field evidence, maps, imagery and institutional records become available.

2. WHY THE IYA MATTERS

The IYA represent one of the most extraordinary archaeological landscapes associated with the Great Benin Kingdom.

Their significance is not dependent upon a single measurement or a single historical account.

Their importance emerges from the accumulated evidence:

early archaeological investigation → wider landscape surveys → heritage documentation → modern archaeological reassessment → satellite observation → archival research → future monitoring.

The central question is therefore no longer simply:

“Did the IYA exist?”

The evidence overwhelmingly establishes that they did.

The more urgent question is:

“What survives today, where does it survive, what condition is it in, and how do we ensure that the evidence itself survives for future generations?”

3. THE EVIDENCE PRINCIPLE

Ẹdomaye Legacy Foundation adopts a simple rule:

WE DO NOT REPLACE THE EVIDENCE WITH THE STORY. WE BUILD THE STORY AROUND THE EVIDENCE.

Every major claim should therefore be classified according to what the available evidence actually supports.

ESTABLISHED — Supported by reliable documentary, archaeological or other appropriate evidence.

CORROBORATED — Supported by more than one independent evidence stream.

PROBABLE — Persuasive evidence exists, but further verification is desirable.

REPORTED — A credible report exists but has not yet been independently verified.

UNKNOWN — There is insufficient evidence to make a responsible determination.

UNKNOWN DOES NOT MEAN DESTROYED.

4. THE MODERN SURVIVAL BASELINE

One of the most important developments in recent IYA research is the 2025 archaeological study by Schepers and colleagues.

The study represents the first new archaeological survey of the Benin City IYA since the 1960s and employed modern techniques including UAV photography, D-GPS, LiDAR, remote sensing and ground truthing.

The researchers divided the Inner City IYA into 18 sections.

Their reported baseline includes approximately:

12.4 KM

of Inner City IYA assessed.

~6 KM

of earth walls reported remaining.

The study also documents varying degrees of preservation and significant threats associated with modern urban development.

This provides a critical NOW baseline against which future monitoring can be conducted.

5. THE 16,000-KM QUESTION

The frequently repeated figure of approximately 16,000 km requires careful explanation.

The figure refers to the wider historical earthwork system/aggregate estimate recorded in the UNESCO Tentative List context.

It must not be presented as:

“A 16,000-km wall surrounding Benin City.”

Nor should it be presented as a modern measurement of surviving earthworks.

This distinction is fundamental to the credibility of the IYA record.

Historical estimate ≠ modern surviving measurement.

6. UNESCO STATUS

The Benin IYA / Sungbo’s Eredo property appears on Nigeria’s UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, with the submission dating to 1995.

This is significant international heritage recognition.

However:

Tentative List status is NOT the same as World Heritage inscription.

Ẹdomaye will therefore use the correct terminology consistently.

7. THE EVIDENCE CHAIN

1954–1955 — A. J. H. GOODWIN
Early archaeological work and documentation in Benin City.

1960s — GRAHAM CONNAH
Early systematic archaeological investigation of the IYA.

1973–1977 — PATRICK DARLING
Extensive survey of the wider IYA landscape.

1975 — GRAHAM CONNAH
The Archaeology of Benin provides a major archaeological synthesis.

1980s — PATRICK DARLING
Further publication and interpretation of wider survey material.

1995 — UNESCO / NIGERIA
Benin IYA / Sungbo’s Eredo enters Nigeria’s World Heritage Tentative List.

2021 — CONTEMPORARY URBAN RESEARCH
Additional evidence concerning modern land-use pressures and deterioration.

2025 — TOMOS L. EVANS
Goodwin’s previously unpublished archival material is revisited in modern scholarship.

2025 — NASA EARTH OBSERVATORY
Satellite imagery provides an independent remote-sensing perspective on surviving traces.

2025 — SCHEPERS ET AL.
Modern archaeological reassessment establishes an important current Inner City IYA baseline.

2026 — TOMOS L. EVANS
Further Goodwin archival research expands the historical reconstruction.

TOMORROW — FUTURE RESEARCHERS
New evidence is added to the record.

8. WHAT WE KNOW

• The Benin IYA constitute an extensive archaeological earthwork landscape.
• Archaeological research has documented surviving sections.
• Significant portions of the Inner City IYA have been lost or severely affected.
• Modern urban development presents major preservation pressures.
• The 2025 archaeological survey provides a contemporary baseline for the Inner City IYA.
• Satellite imagery demonstrates that some traces remain detectable remotely.
• Historical and archival records continue to provide evidence for reconstructing the earlier landscape.
• The Benin IYA / Sungbo’s Eredo property is on Nigeria’s UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.

9. WHAT WE DO NOT YET KNOW

Responsible research also requires us to identify the unanswered questions.

We do not yet possess a comprehensive modern survey establishing the exact present condition of every IYA throughout Edo State.

Further research is also required concerning:

• the complete present-day extent of surviving earthworks;
• chronology and construction sequences;
• the relationship between individual earthwork sections;
• the archaeological identity of every feature detected through remote sensing;
• causes of particular instances of deterioration;
• the condition of sections not covered by recent archaeological surveys.

These are not weaknesses to conceal.

They are research priorities.

10. THEN • NOW • TOMORROW

THEN

Historical maps, photographs, excavation records, archaeological surveys, oral traditions and archival documents establish the earlier record.

NOW

Modern archaeological survey, field documentation, satellite imagery and contemporary evidence establish what can presently be demonstrated.

TOMORROW

Repeated documentation will allow future generations to measure change against today’s baseline.

THEN → NOW → TOMORROW

The objective is to prevent today’s evidence from becoming tomorrow’s missing evidence.

11. SURVIVAL: THE CENTRAL QUESTION

The IYA preservation mission should be organised around SURVIVAL.

For every documented feature, we should ask:

• Where is it?
• What survives?
• What condition is it in?
• What evidence demonstrates its survival?
• What threatens it?
• When was it last documented?
• Can the observation be independently verified?
• What should happen next?

This transforms heritage advocacy into an evidence-led preservation system.

12. THE IYA SURVIVAL ATLAS

The proposed IYA Survival Atlas will eventually provide a structured record of documented earthwork features.

Each feature should receive a unique identification number and an evidence card containing:

• location;
• date documented;
• survival status;
• physical condition;
• photographs;
• historical references;
• archaeological references;
• remote-sensing evidence where appropriate;
• threats;
• verification status;
• recommended preservation action.

The Atlas should distinguish between:

SURVIVING • PARTIALLY SURVIVING • SEVERELY DAMAGED SURVIVOR • LOSS DOCUMENTED • UNKNOWN

13. DIGITAL EVIDENCE VAULT

Evidence that exists only in social-media posts or on a single website is vulnerable.

The IYA project therefore requires an organised evidence vault containing:

• archaeological publications;
• official heritage records;
• historical maps;
• archival documents;
• photographs;
• satellite/remote-sensing records;
• field observations;
• community reports;
• Survival Atlas records;
• threat records;
• successive editions of the dossier.

Preservation principle:

MASTER ORIGINAL → WORKING COPY → APPROVED PUBLIC COPY

Future editions should retain a record of corrections and changes rather than silently replacing previous versions.

14. COMMUNITY SURVIVAL WATCH

Local communities are essential to long-term survival monitoring.

A simple reporting model is:

SEE → RECORD → LOCATE → DATE → REPORT

Community observations can provide valuable early-warning information.

However, a community report should remain clearly identified as a report until appropriately verified.

The community does not replace archaeological expertise.

THE COMMUNITY DOES NOT REPLACE THE ARCHAEOLOGIST; IT HELPS ENSURE THAT THE ARCHAEOLOGIST DOES NOT ARRIVE TOO LATE.

15. THREATS

The evidence indicates that surviving IYA face pressures including:

• urban expansion;
• construction;
• road development;
• erosion;
• dumping;
• encroachment;
• deterioration;
• inadequate preservation.

The appropriate response is not simply to document destruction after it occurs.

The objective is to create a system capable of identifying vulnerable survivors early enough for appropriate intervention.

16. PRESERVATION ACTION: 2026–2030

2026 — FOUNDATION

Establish the Evidence Register, Evidence Vault, Survival Atlas architecture and documentation protocol.

2027 — VERIFICATION

Strengthen records and pursue appropriate expert and field verification.

2028 — MONITORING

Compare new observations with established baselines.

2029 — CONSOLIDATION

Produce a strengthened preservation and monitoring report.

2030 — LEGACY

Develop a mature IYA Survival Atlas and Monitoring System capable of supporting continuing research.

17. INSTITUTIONAL BRIDGE

The IYA preservation effort requires cooperation rather than isolation.

ẸDOMAYE LEGACY FOUNDATION
Coordinate • Educate • Document • Connect • Advocate

UNIVERSITIES & ARCHAEOLOGISTS
Investigate • Survey • Analyse • Verify

HERITAGE AUTHORITIES
Assess • Protect • Conserve • Regulate

COMMUNITIES
Observe • Report • Participate • Steward

DIGITAL/GIS SPECIALISTS
Map • Archive • Monitor • Preserve

“Please independently review, verify and help strengthen the evidence base.”

That is stronger than asking institutions simply to endorse our conclusions.

18. THE ROLE OF ẸDOMAYE

Ẹdomaye does not claim to have discovered the IYA.

The archaeological and historical record belongs to generations of researchers, communities and custodians.

Our responsibility is different:

• to preserve the evidence;
• to make it understandable;
• to connect the historical record with present survival;
• to encourage responsible documentation;
• to help ensure that future generations inherit both the heritage and the evidence necessary to understand it.

19. MASTER DECLARATION

ẸDOMAYE LEGACY FOUNDATION commits to evidence-led advocacy for the documentation, understanding and preservation of surviving IYA.

We will distinguish evidence from interpretation.

We will preserve uncertainty where uncertainty exists.

We will not manufacture measurements, locations, photographs or archaeological conclusions.

We will work with qualified researchers, communities and heritage institutions.

We will document what survives today so that tomorrow will possess evidence of what survived in our time.

OUR OBJECTIVE IS NOT TO OWN THE IYA STORY.

OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO HELP ENSURE THAT SURVIVING IYA AND THE EVIDENCE SURROUNDING THEM ARE NOT LOST.

20. THE LEGACY PRINCIPLE

The IYA story does not end with the latest archaeological paper.

Nor does it end with this dossier.

It continues whenever a surviving earthwork is documented.

Whenever an old map is preserved.

Whenever an archive is opened.

Whenever a threatened feature is recorded before it disappears.

Whenever a new generation learns what the earthworks represent.

And whenever evidence is passed forward.

WHAT SURVIVES TODAY MUST BECOME TOMORROW’S EVIDENCE.

🐆 LET THE IYA ROAR — THROUGH EVIDENCE.

ẸDOMAYE LEGACY FOUNDATION
THE GREAT BENIN KINGDOM
SURVIVAL • EVIDENCE • PRESERVATION • ACTION

FORWARD EVER.