5 - Nok, Nigeria

Nok, Nigeria (Periods/Cultures/Kingdoms)

Culture: Nok (900_BCE - 700_CE)

Nok (location)

Nigeria

Nok (dates)

900_BCE - 700_CE

Nok (900_BCE - 700_CE) notes

• very advanced archaeological civilization

• everyone tries to claim them as their ancestors (b/c Nok is the earliest known civilization of Nigeria)

Artwork ID: “Head from Rafin Kura”

Culture: Nok

Location: Nigeria

Dates: 900_BCE - 700_CE

Medium: terracotta

“Head from Rafin Kura” notes

• style, material, methods, etc. for making the heads is consistent, so there was enough communication across the area to agree upon a canon of conventions

• we don’t have context to help figure out what they were for because they were found without any architectural remains

• very large eyes, complex hairstyles, large & more spaced out facial features, pierced through eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, very stylized, and has no paint or varnish

  • holes could very likely be to prevent the head from exploding when it was being fired

• some are more elaborate and some are simpler, possibly due to the status or wealth of the patron (?)

Artwork ID: “Miniature Kneeling Figure”

Culture: Nok

Location: Nigeria

Dates: 900_BCE - 700_CE

Medium: clay

“Miniature Kneeling Figure” notes

• eyes, head-to-body ratio, jewelry, and hairstyle are all consistent with other artifacts

• size, material, and pose are different

• could be a doll, votive figure, portrait, offering, etc. but we don’t know for sure

Artwork ID: “Seated Male Figure”

Culture: Nok

Location: Nigeria

Dates: 900_BCE - 700_CE

Medium: terracotta

“Seated Male Figure” notes

• head is very large in proportion to the body

• not every head was made with a body and we aren’t entirely sure why

stylization

representing something non-naturalistically to emphasize certain qualities

terracotta

and kind of fired clay

keloid (ritual scarring)

superficial incisions on the skin using stones, glass, knives, or other tools to create meaningful pictures, words, or designs