Delve into the captivating history of the Igodomigodo Kingdom with our meticulously curated collection. Spanning from its establishment by the Ogiso in 40BCE to its transformation into the renowned Benin Kingdom by 1200AD under the reign of the Oba Of Benin, this treasure trove brings to life an era that laid the foundation for modern Benin. At Idu Igodomigodo, we honor this rich legacy, providing historical memorabilia that both educates and inspires future generations. Discover the profound influence of the ancient Igodomigodo Kingdom and let its stories shape your understanding of history and cultural heritage.
Explore the rich history of the ancient Igodomigodo kingdom in this captivating documentary . The history of the Igodomigodo Kingdom started from the descendants of the great Pa Idu, the progrnitor of the edoid people family spread across planet earth. 
 
Let's talk about the great "Pa Idu" the progenitor of the great people of Igodomigodo Kingdom. Pa Idu was born in Ogbe'n'Laka in Ubini now called  Benin City. He had three sons named; Akka, Efa and Emehi. The children of this three son of Pa Idu establish a system of rulership shared across each families... 
The Akka descendants are the current day Urhobo people of Isiokolo(Agbon) , Oghwoghwa and Erowa.  while the Efa and Emehi descendants are the current day Edo (Benin Kingdom) and Esan (Irrua People).
The Igodomigodo land was first unified by Ogiso Igodo. The word "Ogiso" was regarded as the king of Igodomigodo land. The name was drived from the Igodomigodo word "Ogie" which means king and "Isio" which means star. The kings were believed to drive their inspiration from spiritual beings from the sky which gives them the control over their kingdom. 
 
Ogiso Era And Igodomigodo 
The semi-mythical rulers of this first dynasty are known as Ogiso (Ogie-Edo word for king or ruler; Iso-the Edo word for sky), Ogiso literally translated to mean Kings of the Sky or God-Kings. And the land during this period was known as Igodomigodo.
Traditions credit the Ogisos with mythical powers. They feature in many folk tales, talking with personified animals, plants, and material objects and matching their wits against the trickster animal, Egui, the tortoise. Traditions also record that there were thirty-one Ogisos who ruled in succession, including two women about half of these being known by their name. 
It is not clear whether these rulers were elected or followed the same rule of primogeniture that was the custom of the people. However, the fact that thirty-one Ogisos are believed to have reigned, and that some of them were women, suggests that seniority, perhaps within a family, played some part in determining the choice.  
Notable Kings (Ogisos) 
Jacob Egharevba’s account names fifteen kings (Ogisos) of this period beginning from Igodo and then Ere, his first son, through to Owodo, the last king of this era whose only son know as Ekheledaran(Oduduwa) was banished to Uhe(Ile Ife) .  When the people decided to do away with paramount kingship the people requested for the presence Oduduwa. However he was too old and he sent his son Oranmiyan to Benin from Uhe(Ife).
 
Earliest and Surviving Settlements 
The Ogiso era lasted for 854 years with 285 years of Interregnum ranging from Ogiso Orire to Ogiso Odiah. Benin seems to have secured control of the surrounding, heavily forested region by establishing small, dependent farming settlements. This was achieved by sending the princes to rule over villages and settlements which continued to owe allegiance and pay homage to each succeeding Ogiso as their overlord, a practice that was continued by the succeeding dynasty.
There are about 100 of such villages that have survived the times, under hereditary chiefs called Enogie (plural Enigie) who trace their ancestry from the sons of different Ogisos. These earliest villages include: Ihimwirin, Avbiama, Oka, Idogbo, Utesi, Ogua, Urhoho, Ute, Eyaen, Aho, Irighọn, Azagba, Igo, Egbaton, Ughoton, Udo, and Esi.
Also included in the surviving villages are: Okha, Umoghumwun, Orogho, Uhen, Okenuhen (Okeluse), Okhumwun, Ikoha, Use, Ego, Ekho, Ebue, Irokhin, Udeni, Erua, Ugha, Orhua, Urhuekpen, Amagba, Ugbeu, Evbuekoi, Ekhua, Ogan, Isua, Uhi, Ekae, Uzeghudu, lyowa, and  Omin.
Other include: Ikoka, Iyekeze, Ogba, Ogbokhirima, Okuo, Owe, Ominira, Unuame, Ugolo, Ikpako, Uhogua, Ayen, Orio, Uwan, Egbaen, Idumwonwina, Ohovbe, Ogheghe, Uvbe, Ite, Iguogbę and Izikhiri.   
 
Pre System of Government 
During the Ogiso era, Benin was still very much a small state and not as advanced as it came to be in the centuries after or following the coming of Oba dynasty. The system of government at this time consisted of the ogiso and the council of state made up of two blocs of chiefs: one appointed by the king and the other, the Uzama, a group of principal chiefs who exercised control over the different quarters of the kingdom. 
The Uzama wielded some influence as can be seen from the fact that it survived the Ogiso era, and it was later to become a hereditary caste of kingmakers. Among the chieftaincy titles created by the Ogisos were: Esagho (the prime minister and war chief), Aragbua, Erhaghohen, Lamalua, Ogiama, Ukpoza, Giaghama, Oluo, and Ogievbeke. 
Other titles created by the Ogisos include: Nirokhin, Ogiodu, Ogikeke, Ogiogbon, and Iraghoghe. The Uzama at this stage were five and included the Oliha (leader), Edohen, Ezomo, Ero, and Eholo N’Ire.
The Ogiso palace
The palace of the Ogisos which was started during the reign of Ogiso Ere, was on the site that used to house the Western Boys High School, off the Second and Third East Circular Roads. It is said to have stretched from the school to the cemetery being about half a mile in length, a quarter of a mile wide, containing many gateways, chambers, council halls and a big harem divided into sections. 
The Ogiso palace occupied a suitable elevated position and its spacious front overlooked the valley of Ikpoba River up to the Oregbeni hills which still occupies the eastern fringes of the city today. 
The End of the Ogiso Era 
The Ogiso period was ended by a revolt and the banishment of the ruler. There followed a brief phase where there was no royal ruler, described by Jacob Egharevba as an experiment in 'republican government', by which seems to be meant a change in the method of appointing the ruler, so that in place of hereditary succession within a family, a choice was made by the body of chiefs from among their own number. 
This experiment proved a complete failure, for the first ruler appointed under it, Evian, tried to have his son Ogiamien elected to succeed him, and the chiefs, having foiled that intrigue, were unable to agree on an alternative candidate from among themselves. The chiefs decided to send emissaries to Oduduwa (Izoduwa in Edo) the Oni of Ife asking him to provide one of his sons to rule over them. Benin oral traditions also insist that Izoduwa was indeed Ekaladeran, the exiled son of the last Ogiso who found his way to Ile-Ife after a long period of wandering in the forest following his excape from execution in Benin, assuming a new name in the process.
The now powerful Izoduwa sent his son, Oranmiyan who would later leave Benin after fathering a son that became Oba Eweka I. Thus, the deadlock was resolved with the introduction of a new dynasty, the Oranmiyan-Eweka Dynasty, related to