Research and Conservation

Our historic location has made archaeological excavation, research, and heritage restoration management central to MOWAA's mission and activities.

Studying material heritage provides rich insights into West Africa’s histories and modern trajectories by examining the remains of ancient human settlements, landscapes, and ways of life.

MOWAA is taking decisive steps to reignite homegrown scholarship and sustainably expand capacities and opportunities in archaeology, material science and applied conservation management.

Unearthing hidden and endangered cultural codes

In collaboration with our local and international partners such as the National Commission for Museum and Monuments (NCMM), the British Museum and the Deutsche Archeologische Institut (DAI), our growing team of Nigerian specialists is leading the way in the study and interpretation of the past, deploying the latest equipment and techniques, and demonstrating that higher standards in heritage management can be achieved on the continent.

To date, our activities have included archaeological excavations, digital mapping, drone surveys and high-resolution 3D modelling. Our ongoing field work is the first significant field archaeology to take place within Benin City in more than 50 years and is already providing exciting new insights into Benin’s history and culture, as well as the challenges of preserving this and making it accessible to local, national, and international audiences.

The Projects

Africa – the Cradle of Humanity - contains many of the most important archaeological sites in the world, including traces of our earliest ancestors in the Turkana Basin in Kenya, ruins of past civilisations such those at Giza, Luxor, Meroe and Great Zimbabwe and, of course, the famed ancient Kingdom of Benin.

To date, the most extensive and systematic excavations in Benin City were carried out by Graham Connah between 1960 and 1964. Now, we, in partnership with the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), the British Museum, Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) and Wessex Archaeology, are continuing that work with pre-construction archaeology and research investigations in and around the centre of Benin City, the home of our new Campus. This falls within the historic core of the pre-colonial city, the capital of the Benin Kingdom and one of the most important archaeological sites in West Africa.
Benin City was one of the great pre-colonial urban centres of sub-Saharan Africa and the capital of the Benin Empire that held sway across West Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries.

With origins dating back over 1,000 years, little of the ancient city remains visible to visitors after it was largely destroyed by fire during the British invasion of 1897.

The catastrophic fire ravaged the city’s wood and thatch structures, leaving only a handful of surviving historic buildings. Oral histories, historic maps, and depictions reveal Benin City’s expansive historic urban core spanned at least 7 square kilometers within monumental walls and moats that still survive in many places today.

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Mapping of the Moats

The Digital Lab

Our curators will bring West Africa’s rich cultural knowledge and our imagined futures into 2D/3D reality for global engagement.

At the Digital Lab, MOWAA’s growing creative and research community are unlocking the possibilities of digital technologies to advance the heritage economy, education, and creative industries.

Hosted at the Institute, this facility will make cultural content of Nigerian and African origin easy to access, use and reuse through the creation of multimedia digital catalogues and online libraries.

Its range of technologies enable digital mapping and interpretation of cultural artefacts, places and monuments, providing new evidence to deepen knowledge of Africa’s civilizations and their material heritage. From 3D exhibitions to virtual reality, gaming to e-learning platforms, MOWAA’s range of digitally driven initiatives will help to activate Benin’s Creative District.

Our work with young creative professionals will catalyse a boom in innovative, interactive applications with real societal and economic impact. Specifically, over the next few years, MOWAA is proposing a set of targeted digitisation projects which will culminate in critical knowledge resources, including:

A virtual collection of exemplary West African artefacts
A public access digital heritage library with emphasis on trade relations, settlements and material culture of mediaeval West Africa
Digital mapping of material and intangible heritage Ancient Benin, including its expansive earthen works systems