Title transferred
Nigeria legally owns the object, even if it remains physically abroad.
EXPERIMENT 002
Benin: Tracing What Was Taken
In 1897, thousands of royal and cultural objects were taken from the Kingdom of Benin. More than a century later, their locations tell another story.
Dataset counts evolve as records are reconciled. This prototype uses the verified working ledger for Experiment 002.
GLOBAL TRACE
Where did they go?
TRACE
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Benin Palace
Royal Palace of the Oba of Benin
Select the palace to begin tracing objects by country and institution.
THE ANALYTICAL QUESTION
What does “returned” mean?
A single return count can hide fundamentally different states. Experiment 002 separates them.
Physically returned
The object has actually arrived back in Nigeria.
Returned + loaned
Nigeria owns the object while an overseas institution continues to hold or display it under loan.
Pending
Restitution has been agreed or ownership transferred, but the physical movement is not yet complete.
ONE NUMBER, DIFFERENT REALITIES
objects legally restituted
99 awaiting physical return17 remaining on loan
ownership transferred
18 physically returned10 remain on loan
THE JOURNEY BACK
1897 → 2026
THE STORY IS STILL MOVING
Location tells us where an object is.
Ownership tells us who it belongs to.
Restitution tells us how that relationship is changing.
Experiment 002 turns fragmented provenance, ownership and movement records into one traceable intelligence layer.