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Princess Marie José of Belgium dressed in lavish Nile style for a Tutankhamun ball in Brussels in 1926.

Wall hanging with battle scenes between Europeans and Dahomeans, from the Palace at Abomey in present-day Benin.

An engraving of two rival tribes in the midst of battle in Dahomey, 1879.

Behanzin, the last king of Dahomey, with his family in 1894. Although his predecessor had allowed France to claim the city of Cotonou as a protectorate, Behanzin was strongly opposed to colonisation and launched an ill-fated last push to end European interference.

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The Kingdom of Dahomey rose to dominance in West Africa on the strength of its disciplined army and strategic leadership—but also through its role capturing and selling hundreds of thousands of people from neighbouring nations to the transatlantic slave trade.

An engraved map of Dahomey and its environs, from the 1793 The History of Dahomey by slave trader and historian Archibald Dalzel.

The Mino trained with intense physical exercise. Discipline was emphasised. In the latter period, the female-commanded units were armed with Winchester rifles, clubs and knives.

The women warriors of Dahomey were known by many names in the Fon language—including Gbeto, Agojie, and Mino. Far from the sleek costumes of their film counterparts, they wore tunics and long shorts during combat.