Editing History of Benin (section)

== Early inhabitants ==
The area now known as Benin has been inhabited since ancient times by very old African populations, as is the case across much of the continent. It is now widely accepted that the earliest known inhabitants of the territory were small-statured people commonly referred to as [[pygmies]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Patin |first1=Etienne |last2=Lopez |first2=Marie |last3=Grollemund |first3=Rebecca |last4=Verdu |first4=Paul |last5=Harmant |first5=Christine |last6=Quach |first6=Hélène |last7=Laval |first7=Guillaume |last8=Perry |first8=George H. |last9=Barreiro |first9=Luis B. |last10=Froment |first10=Alain |last11=Heyer |first11=Evelyne |last12=Quintana-Murci |first12=Lluis |title=Dispersals and genetic adaptation of Bantu-speaking populations in Africa |journal=Science |volume=356 |issue=6337 |pages=543–546 |date=2017-05-05 |doi=10.1126/science.aal1988 |pmid=28473590 |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aal1988}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Migration history of Bantu-speaking people: Genomics reveals benefits of admixture and sheds new light |url=https://www.pasteur.fr/en/home/research-journal/press-documents/migration-history-bantu-speaking-people-genomics-reveals-benefits-admixture-and-sheds-new-light |website=Institut Pasteur |date=2017-05-05 |access-date=2025-05-09}}</ref>{{efn|The scientists then explored the admixture of Bantu speakers with the local populations they came into contact with. Their research demonstrates that over the past millennium, the Bantus admixed with pygmy populations from West-Central Africa.}} remnants of whom are still found in parts of Central Africa. These early populations lived in scattered clans and eventually disappeared from West Africa through gradual assimilation with larger-statured groups migrating from neighboring regions, particularly from the vast Sahara, which at the time was experiencing prolonged droughts that contributed to its desertification.<ref>{{harvsp|Breyo|2021|page=8}}</ref>

The migrants from the ancient Sahara are believed to be the ancestors of various ethnically mixed peoples who later settled and cohabited in what became Benin. These include the [[Fon people|Fon]], [[:fr:Ayizo|Aizo]], Holi, [[:fr:Tofinu (peuple)|Toffin]], [[Aja people|Aja]], [[Waci language|Waci]], Guin, Hueda, Houla, Goun, [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]], Batombu, Dendi, Fulbe, [[Bariba people|Bariba]], [[:fr:Waama (peuple)|Waba]], and Yowa, among others. Long before the Common Era, major West African kingdoms such as the Dahomey and Bariba kingdoms began to emerge in this wider Sahelian context.<ref>{{harvsp|Breyo|2021|page=9}}</ref>

=== Genetic studies ===
A 2015 study by Larmuseau et al. investigated the paternal genetic landscape of populations along the Bight of Benin, focusing on four groups from present-day Benin: the Fon, Yoruba, Bariba, and Dendi. Using Y-chromosomal markers, the research revealed significant genetic diversity among these populations, reflecting complex historical migrations and interactions.

The study found that the Beninese Yoruba exhibit notable genetic differentiation not only from neighboring groups but also from the Yoruba in Nigeria, suggesting distinct paternal lineages and historical developments. This diversity underscores the intricate demographic history of the region, shaped by various migration events and cultural exchanges.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Larmuseau |first1=Maarten H. D. |last2=Vessi |first2=Andrea |last3=Jobling |first3=Mark A. |last4=Van Geystelen |first4=Anneleen |last5=Primativo |first5=Giuseppina |last6=Biondi |first6=Gianfranco |last7=Martínez-Labarga |first7=Cristina |last8=Ottoni |first8=Claudio |last9=Decorte |first9=Ronny |last10=Rickards |first10=Olga |title=The Paternal Landscape along the Bight of Benin – Testing Regional Representativeness of West-African Population Samples Using Y-Chromosomal Markers |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=10 |issue=11 |pages=e0141510 |year=2015 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0141510 |doi-access=free |pmid=26544036 |pmc=4636292 |bibcode=2015PLoSO..1041510L }}</ref>