Urhukpa-Ẹvbi (lamps) means ‘oil lamps’, and they are used to illuminate the house after dusk. Most lamps were made to have a curved plate-like bottom in which the oil would be poured and lit, and they are hung from chains attached on three or four sides. The Urukpa-Ẹvbi would be made with iron by the Igun-Ugboha, who are part of the Igun-Ematon and are responsible for producing household items.

Although some Urukpa-Ẹvbi may have been used in palaces, the presence of them within institution holdings today indicates the wide range of objects the British looted in 1897, beyond those objects which were clearly considered valuable in the late nineteenth century, such as ivories. It is likely that a number were used in palaces and compounds in Benin City, but more detailed information on how they were placed and used is no longer available.

Urhukpa-Ẹvbi

Although some Urukpa-Ẹvbi may have been used in palaces, the presence of them within museum holdings today indicates the wide range of objects the British looted in 1897, beyond those objects which were clearly considered valuable in the late nineteenth century, such as ivories. It is likely that a number were used in palaces and compounds in Benin City, but more detailed information on how they were placed and used is no longer available.

Lamp

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The British Museum’s archives are held in various locations across the institution. The items listed here aim to give an overview of the main locations where relevant archival and photographic material relating to objects from the Kingdom of Benin is housed. Key areas relevant for cultural objects from the Kingdom of Benin are: Corporate Archives; Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas archives; Department of Britain, Europe and Prehistory archives; and the Anthropology Library and Research Centre.

Website

Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas 

Online Catalogue

Library & Archive

British Museum

Internal Data (eng)

British Museum link

Smith, Philip Creasey

Donor

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British Colonial Military Campaign on Benin, February 1897

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