benin walls were longer than the great wall of china
Yes,
estimates indicate the ancient Walls of Benin were significantly longer than the Great Wall of China. In fact, the Guinness Book of World Records once described the walls of Benin as the "world's largest earthworks carried out prior to the mechanical era". Walls of Benin vs. Great Wall of China
| Feature | Walls of Benin (Ancient Kingdom of Benin, now Nigeria) | Great Wall of China |
|---|---|---|
| Total length | Approximately 16,000 km (9,900 miles). This figure represents a network of more than 500 interconnected earthworks and moats, not a single, continuous structure. | A total of all its sections ever built measures about 21,196 km (13,171 miles), including overlaps and branches. |
| Longest single section | The walls surrounding Benin City proper were about 10 km (6.2 miles) long. The greater total length came from connecting many smaller settlement boundaries. | The most well-preserved and continuous section, built during the Ming dynasty, is about 8,850 km (5,500 miles) long. |
| Scale and construction | The intricate network of ramparts and moats was built entirely by the Edo people, taking an estimated 150 million hours of digging to construct. | It was a massive series of fortifications constructed over centuries by different Chinese dynasties. |
| Fate of the structure | Much of the walls were destroyed by the British during their 1897 Punitive Expedition, and the remnants have suffered from neglect and modern development. | While many parts are in ruins, significant and well-preserved sections still stand and attract millions of visitors annually. |
Why the difference is often misunderstood
Historically, the massive scale of the Walls of Benin has been overlooked in many parts of the world, leading to the assumption that the Great Wall of China is the longest. The Walls of Benin were mostly demolished, contributing to their lesser-known status. Their legacy has also been overshadowed by the looting of the Benin Bronzes by the British, which received more recent attention.
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What is the evidence for and against the claim the benin walls were longer than the great wall of china
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There is substantial evidence supporting the claim that the Walls of Benin were longer than the Great Wall of China, primarily through
archaeological surveys that accounted for the entire network of interconnected earthworks. However, a direct comparison is complex due to the differing nature and states of preservation of the two structures, which leads to some counterarguments. Evidence for the Walls of Benin being longer
- Archaeological surveys: Extensive archaeological work conducted in the 1970s and 1980s mapped the Benin earthworks and provided the basis for the estimated total length. Archaeologist Dr. Patrick Darling estimated the total length at approximately 16,000 kilometers (around 10,000 miles).
- A network of earthworks: The Walls of Benin were not a single, continuous wall but a vast network of ramparts and moats called iya. This network enclosed approximately 6,500 square kilometers and connected around 500 settlements. The 16,000 km figure represents the combined length of these interconnected features.
- Guinness World Record: In 1974, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized the Walls of Benin as the "world's largest earthworks carried out prior to the mechanical era," acknowledging their immense scale based on archaeological data.
- Contemporary accounts: Early European visitors, including a Dutch physician named Olfert Dapper in 1668, described the impressive scale of the fortifications.
Arguments against the claim or for a nuanced interpretation
- Different types of structures: Critics argue that comparing the two is misleading because they were fundamentally different. The is a consolidated, though not perfectly continuous, stone and earth fortification system meant for defense against northern invasions. The Walls of Benin were a massive network of earthworks—ramparts and ditches—that served multiple purposes, including defense, controlling movement, and delineating territory.Great Wall of China
- Destruction and poor preservation: Much of the Walls of Benin were destroyed by the British in 1897 and have suffered from neglect and modern development. As a result, direct, complete measurement is no longer possible, and the length is an estimate based on older surveys and remnants.
- Measurement of the Great Wall: The total length of the was remeasured by Chinese surveyors in 2012, resulting in an updated official length of 21,196 kilometers (13,171 miles). This figure includes all known sections and branches built over centuries, similar to how the Benin network is measured. Using this updated number, the Great Wall's total length is longer. However, the 16,000 km estimate for Benin's walls still exceeds the length of the main, most well-known sections of the Great Wall, such as the Ming Dynasty portion.Great Wall of China
- Interpretation of "wall": Some challenge whether the Benin earthworks, which included ditches and mounds, qualify for the same classification as the Great Wall, which is a more substantial and consolidated barrier in many places.
Conclusion
The claim that the Walls of Benin were longer than the Great Wall of China is supported by archaeological estimates of their vast interconnected network of earthworks before their destruction. However, the comparison is often contested because the two structures were different in form and purpose, and the total length of the Great Wall has been updated to a higher figure. Nevertheless, the consensus among archaeologists is that the Walls of Benin represent the world's largest pre-mechanical earthworks, a testament to the immense labor and sophistication of the ancient Kingdom of Benin.
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