Ile-Ife (500 BCE - 1500 CE)
Ile-Ife was a powerful Yoruba kingdom dated to the 4th century BC. Yorubaland is the cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo, and Benin. From the 12th to the 15th centuries, Ife flourished as a powerful, cosmopolitan and wealthy city-state in West Africa. The cities were fortresses, with high walls and gates. Ife was an influential centre of trade connected to extensive local and long-distance trade networks…
Ashanti Empire (1670 - 1957)
The Ashanti Empire (also spelled Asante) was an Akan empire and kingdom in what is now modern-day Ghana from 1670 to 1957. The empire also encompassed parts of modern day Côte d'Ivoire and Togo. The empire was known for its military prowess, wealth, architecture, sophisticated hierarchy and culture. The Ashanti state, in effect, was a theocracy. The election of Kings and the Asantehene (King of Kings or emperor ) himself followed a pattern. The senior female of the kingly…