Between 700 and 900 A.D., Ife began to develop as a major artistic center.The city was a settlement of substantial size between the 9th and 12th centuries, with houses featuring potsherd pavements. Il矇-If癡 is known worldwide for its ancient and naturalistic bronze, stone and terracotta sculptures, which reached their peak of artistic expression between 1200 and 1400 A.D. After this period, production declined as political and economic power shifted to the nearby kingdom of Benin which, like the Yoruba kingdom of Oyo, developed into a major empire. Bronze and terracotta art created by this civilization and significant examples of realism in early African art.