Igbo Ukwu
Quick Summary
Igbo Ukwu refers to a significant archaeological discovery in Nigeria, revealing a sophisticated culture dating back to around the 9th century CE. Excavations uncovered bronze artifacts, including ritual vessels and ceremonial objects, showcasing advanced artistic traditions and a well-organized society with extensive trade networks.123
The bronzes, made from copper and lead, suggest trade connections reaching as far as Tadmekka in the Sahara, and possibly Venice and India, via routes through Egypt and the Chad basin. These artifacts are believed to have belonged to a high-ranking individual, possibly an early eze nri, a priest-king who held religious authority over much of the Igbo region. The discovery highlights the early development of metalworking and complex social structures in sub-Saharan Africa.123
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western AfricaThe wider influence of the Sudanic kingdoms…government, the archaeological finds at Igbo Ukwu revealed that ancestors of the modern Igbo (Ibo) had, as early as the 9th century, a sophisticated society with surpluses of wealth supporting considerable craft specialization, including a highly developed bronze art with a distinctive style of its own. Recent thinking suggests that…
Read More…government, the archaeological finds at Igbo Ukwu revealed that ancestors of the modern Igbo (Ibo) had, as early as the 9th century, a sophisticated society with surpluses of wealth supporting considerable craft specialization, including a highly developed bronze art with a distinctive style of its own. Recent thinking suggests that…
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NigeriaIgbo UkwuBronzes, which have been dated to about the 9th century ce, were discovered in the 1930s and ’40s at Igbo Ukwu, near the southwestern city of Onitsha. (See also African art.) They reveal not only a high artistic tradition but also a well-structured…
Read MoreBronzes, which have been dated to about the 9th century ce, were discovered in the 1930s and ’40s at Igbo Ukwu, near the southwestern city of Onitsha. (See also African art.) They reveal not only a high artistic tradition but also a well-structured…
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African artSculpture and associated arts…ce, when the smiths of Igbo Ukwu (in what is now Nigeria) were casting leaded bronze, which is highly ductile, and smithing copper, which is not. Some three or four centuries later, the smiths of Ife, seemingly unaware that unalloyed copper was not suitable for casting (or perhaps wishing to…
Read More…ce, when the smiths of Igbo Ukwu (in what is now Nigeria) were casting leaded bronze, which is highly ductile, and smithing copper, which is not. Some three or four centuries later, the smiths of Ife, seemingly unaware that unalloyed copper was not suitable for casting (or perhaps wishing to…
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…is from the village of Igbo Ukwu, where the grave of a man of distinction and a ritual store dating from the 9th century ce contained both chased copper objects and elaborate castings of leaded bronze. The earliest artistic castings from sub-Saharan Africa, these pieces consist of ritual vessels and…
Read More…is from the village of Igbo Ukwu, where the grave of a man of distinction and a ritual store dating from the 9th century ce contained both chased copper objects and elaborate castings of leaded bronze. The earliest artistic castings from sub-Saharan Africa, these pieces consist of ritual vessels and…
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