The Nok culture
Nok culture
The Nok culture is an early Iron Age population whose material remains are named after the Ham village of Nok in Kaduna State of Nigeria, where their famous terracotta sculptures were first discovered in 1928. The Nok Culture appeared in northern Nigeria around 1500 BC and vanished under unknown circumstances around 500 AD, thus having lasted approximately 2,000 years.
Kaduna State
Kaduna, usually referred to as Kaduna State to distinguish it from the city of Kaduna, is a state in Northwest Nigeria. Its capital is Kaduna.
Full Answer
What is the history of Nok culture?
Nok culture, also called Nok figurine culture, ancient Iron Age culture that existed on the Benue Plateau of Nigeria between about 500 bce and 200 ce. The earliest-known sculpture of large size in the Sudan is the ceramic art of the Nok culture, which flourished extensively… First discovered in 1928 in the small tin-mining village...
What is the meaning of the word NOK?
The Meaning of NOKNOK means "Not Okay" or "No One Knows" So now you know - NOK means "Not Okay" or "No One Knows" - don't thank us. YW! What does NOK mean? NOK is an acronym, abbreviation or slang word that is explained above where the NOK definition is given.” 8 clever moves when you have $1,000 in the bank.
What are the characteristics of NOK sculptures?
Nok sculptures have been found across an area over 78,000 square kilometers (30,116 square miles), suggesting these artists, although they received their clay from a central source, were part of an expansive civilization. Another important characteristic of the Nok culture is their use of iron technology.
What can we learn from Nok terracotta art?
Aside from what we can learn from their terracotta artwork, most details of Nok culture, society, and social organization remain unknown. person who studies artifacts and lifestyles of ancient cultures. material remains of a culture, such as tools, clothing, or food. carving or sculpture in which figures project slightly from a flat background.
What is the meaning of Nok culture?
The Nok culture was one of the earliest known societies of Western Africa. It existed in modern-day Nigeria from around 500 B.C.E. to 200 C.E. The Nok farmed crops and used iron tools.
Does the Nok culture still exist?
Nok culture, also called Nok figurine culture, ancient Iron Age culture that existed on the Benue Plateau of Nigeria between about 500 bce and 200 ce.
What are the characteristics of Nok culture?
Perforated ears, mouths, triangular shaped eyes with pierced pupils are some of the typical stylistic features of the Nok heads. Distinctive hairstyles, the use of ornaments and jewels, variety of beauty in the design provides an enthralling record of body decoration and adornment in the Nok culture.
What are the types of Nok culture?
Early Nok (1500-900 B.C.E.) Middle Nok (900-300 B.C.E.) Late Nok (300 B.C.E.-1 C.E.) Post Nok (1 C.E.-500 C.E.)
What language did the Nok speak?
The area covered by the Nok civilisation, over 2500 years ago, currently includes language groups such as Hausa, Jukun, Berom, Afizere, Amo, Anaguta, Aten, Bogghom, Buji, Jipal, Chip, Irchip, Fier, Gashish, Goemai, Irigwe, Jarawa, Kofyar, Montol, Mushere, Mupun, Mwaghavul, Ngas, Piapung, Pyem, Ron-Kulere, Bache, Talet, ...
What did the Nok heads represent?
Some pottery figures appear to depict subjects suffering from ailments such as elephantiasis and facial paralysis. These “diseased” visages may have been intended to protect against illness but, beyond conjecture, their meaning and the significance of Nok sculpture in general are still unknown.
How were the Nok named?
The famous Nok terracotta sculptures were first discovered in Taruga, Kaduna, in 1928 by Colonel Dent Young, a tin miner. Bernard Fagg, an archaeologist, later discovered more sculptures in 1940 and named them “Nok” because of the location where the sculptures were found.
What is the importance of Nok culture in Nigeria?
Famous for the distinctive terracotta sculptures of human heads and figures, Nok was the first known culture in West Africa to produce such art and perhaps the first sub-Saharan culture to perfect iron-smelting technology.
Where the Nok culture was first discovered?
Kaduna State, NigeriaThe first Nok terracotta was discovered in 1928 by Colonel Dent Young, a co-owner of a mining partnership, near the village of Nok in Kaduna State, Nigeria.
Who made the Nok head?
The Nok of Nigeria - Archaeology Magazine Archive. A terracotta head created by the Nok culture, one of ancient West Africa's most advanced civilizations, emerges at a dig site near Janjala, Nigeria.
What are the occupation of Nok people?
The Nok people of Nigeria were smelters of iron but also agriculturalists.
What was discovered in Nok?
In 1943 Nigerian tin miners discovered a small terracotta head near the town of Nok. This discovery led to the identification of an entire ancient culture. The culture was named Nok after the place the first artifacts were found.
Where did the Nok culture originate?
The Nok culture (or Nok civilization) is a population whose material remains are named after the Ham village of Nok in Kaduna State of Nigeria, where their terracotta sculptures were first discovered in 1928. The Nok Culture appeared in Nigeria around 1500 BC and vanished under unknown circumstances around 500 AD, having lasted approximately 2,000 years.
When did the Nok culture start?
The Nok Culture appeared in Nigeria around 1500 BC and vanished under unknown circumstances around 500 AD, having lasted approximately 2,000 years. Iron use, in smelting and forging tools, appears in Nok culture by at least 550 BC and possibly a few centuries earlier.
Why are there no bones in the Nok culture?
Because of the acidic soil, no animal bones from the Nok culture have been preserved, leaving no direct evidence of what species they might have domesticated (or hunted). The only evidence for animals during the Nok culture period is the depictions of animals as figurines or terracotta sculptures.
What is the function of Nok sculptures?
Nok Sculptures. The function of Nok terracotta sculptures is still unknown. For the most part, the terracotta is preserved in the form of scattered fragments. That is why Nok art is well known today only for the heads, both male and female, whose hairstyles are particularly detailed and refined.
How many Nok culture sites have been looted?
A joint research project with Goethe University and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments conducted since 2005 showed that more than 90% of Nok Culture sites known in the research area have been illegally looted.
What are some of the sculptures in the Nok?
Among Nok terracotta sculptures at Pangwari, there are sculptures portraying a large teeth-bearing therianthropic ( human - feline) figure and the torso of a seated figure wearing a belt around their waist and a necklace, which had added features (e.g., bows, knots); there are also sculptures portraying the head of a human figure that has a bird beak and the head of a male figure with a seashell on it, which may have been created by the same sculptor. Additionally, there are sculptures portraying figures wielding slingshots, as well as bows and arrows, which may be indicative of Nok people engaging in the hunting, or trapping, of untamed animals.
What is the Nok art style?
Because of the similarities between the two sites, archaeologist Graham Connah believes that "Nok artwork represents a style that was adopted by a range of iron-using farming societies of varying cultures, rather than being the diagnostic feature of a particular human group as has often been claimed ."
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The Nok culture appeared in Nigeria around 1000 BC and vanished under unknown circumstances around 300 AD in the region of West Africa. This region lies in Northern and Central Nigeria. Its social system is thought to have been highly advanced. The Nok culture was considered to be the earliest sub-Saharan producer of life-sized Terracotta.
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Overview
The Nok culture (or Nok civilization) is a population whose material remains are named after the Ham village of Nok in Kaduna State of Nigeria, where their terracotta sculptures were first discovered in 1928. The Nok Culture appeared in Nigeria around 1500 BC and vanished under unknown circumstances around 500 AD, having lasted approximately 2,000 years.
Origin
Breunig and Rupp hypothesized, "Their origin is unknown, but since the plants they used as crops (especially millet) are indigenous to the Sahel region, a northern homeland is more probable than any other." Breunig explains: "The people of the Nok Culture Must have come from somewhere else. So far, however, we have not found out what region, though we suspect the Sahel zone in West Africa."
Sculptures
The function of Nok terracotta sculptures is still unknown. For the most part, the terracotta is preserved in the form of scattered fragments. That is why Nok art is well known today only for the heads, both male and female, whose hairstyles are particularly detailed and refined. The statues are in fragments because the discoveries are usually made from alluvial mud, in terrain made by the erosion …
Discovery
The first Nok terracotta was discovered in 1928 by Colonel Dent Young, a co-owner of a mining partnership, near the village of Nok in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The terracotta was accidentally unearthed at a level of 24 feet (7 m) from an alluvial tin mine. Young presented the sculptures to the Museum of the Department of Mines in Jos.
Fifteen years later, in 1943 near the village of Nok, in the center of Nigeria, a new series of clay fi…
Preliminary archaeology
Preliminary excavations at the beginning of January 1961 began near a remote valley named Taruga near the village of Takushara. The trial excavations took place during a period of eight days. The finds included objects of wrought iron, a quantity of iron slag, fragments of tuyere, pottery, figurine fragments, red ocher, quartz hammer-stones, and small concentrations of charcoal. The most famou…
Archaeology
In 1989, German scientists were working in northeastern Nigeria's Chad Basin as part of a cooperative project between the University of Maiduguri located in Borno State, Nigeria, and archaeologists of Goethe University Frankfurt. This project examined the beginnings of sedentary farming societies in the Chad Basin. Questions arose about whether there were other societies like those in the Chad Basin, and these questions led the team to investigate the Nok Culture. In the …
Looting and repatriation
Since the 1970s, Nok terracotta figures have been heavily looted. Even larger-scale looting commenced in the Nok cultural area in 1994, and by 1995 two main local traders emerged. Each of the main traders could employ approximately 1,000 diggers to unearth terracottas every day. Although the majority of the terracottas were fragmented, some were intact and sellable. Because of this, hundreds of Nok Culture sites have been illegally dug in search of these terracotta sculpt…
Descendants
As each share cultural and artistic similarity with the Nok culture found in Nok, Sokoto, and Katsina, the Niger-Congo-speaking Yoruba, Jukun, or Dakakari peoples may be descendants of the Nok peoples. Based on stylistic similarities with the Nok terracottas, the bronze figurines of the Yoruba Ife Empire and the Bini kingdom of Benin may also be continuations of the traditions of the earlier Nok culture.