Oyo Empire tsetse fly. Cavalry was the long arm of the Oyo Empire. Late 16th and 17th century expeditions were composed entirely of cavalry. There were drawbacks to this. Oyo could not maintain its cavalry army in the south but could raid at will. Cavalry in highly developed societies such as Oyo was divided into light and heavy. Heavy cavalry on larger imported horses was armed with heavy thrusting lances or spears and also with swords. Light cavalry on smaller indigenous ponies was armed with throwing spears or bows. Infantry in the region around the Oyo Empire was uniform in both armor
History of the Yoruba people intercity warfare amongst the Yoruba themselves. Archaeological evidence of the greatness of their ancient civilization in the form of, amongst other things, impressive architectural achievements like Sungbo's Eredo that are centuries old, nevertheless abound. Many Yoruba people organize themselves into villages, kingdoms, and towns. Major cities include the Ile-Ife, Oya, Lagos, Ibadan, Akure, and many other towns and cities. Some towns and cities of Yoruba people are their own civilization because people can share many of the same similarities. These cities are Warri, Benin city, Okene, and Auchi. Since the Yoruba religion started in Ile-Ife, the Yoruba diaspora has two