1. Matthew Emerson
Late Village Settlement
in Edo North
Some effects of defense or commerce
on landscape development
Matthew Emerson

2. Okpameri Villages in a rugged
woodland and savanna with massive
formations
Akoko-Edo Area

3. Road into Afemai Hills Area, Akoko-Edo

4. Akoko-Edo Landscape View North

5. Ogbe Village, Akoko-Edo

6. Cassava
Farming in Akoko-Edo

7. Village
Industries

8. Akoko-Edo Topography and
Settlement

9. Granite Isenforms in Transitional Savannah

10. Akoko-Edo Village Location & Topography
At crossroads
Old-New village
Hillside/by the road
On a mountain top
surrounded
by hills

11. Location Community Location Pop density
Akoko-Edo
Ogbe Hillside enclosed Very low
Somorika Mountain top low
Egbigere (2) hillside/roadside very low
Ekpeshi hiilside/crossroads low
Ososo Hillside enclosed Expanded
Igarra crossroads Town
Etsako
Auchi plains city
Iyuku plains low

12. Push-Pull Village location farming markets communication
Identity &
language
Defense
mountain tops &
enclosed hillsides
niche farming,
subsistence &
limited export
travel to.
(weekly, festival,
seasonal)
through
visitation
clan-oriented
Commerce
hillsides, roadside &
crossroads
field planting,
larger
production
common areas-
weekly
through
commerce
multilingual &
multiethnic
Defense
Commerce
Town-livingVillage-living

13. At Ososo, a town

15. Iron working-
Clan based- Benin-Lagos
to Ososo to Igarra

16. Rock shelter near Ososo

17. An example: small rock shelter near Ososo
Low usage, single impact, undefined shallow remains

18. Occupation
impact
Capacity Surface
remains
Subsurface
remains
daily low few single use shallow
continuous limited 3-4 non-kin focused
areas
visible
extended variable several
families
divided
areas
extensive
Predictive Rock Shelter Usage Study Criteria

19. Hilltop agriculture

20. Family shrine
Village shrine

22. At Ogbe Village

23. Ruins of British colonial station- near Ogbe

24. In Conclusion
Prehistory
Push into the area from the North Push into the area for cave usage, exploration,
hunting/gathering
Precolonial
Push to hillsides and mountain tops for security-avoid conflict
Push to develop hilltop farming
Push people out of Benin City to outlying areas
Colonial
Push into hills to avoid British conflict
Pull to town & roadsides for commerce
Modern
Pull to the larger towns, urban areas –Lagos (jobs, healthcare)
Push for more weekly rural markets
Push for more intensive cottage industries ( Gari-processing guilds)
Pull to towns for youth, push for market sales in town
Compounds formed for privacy