Ancient Nigeria

Nigeria has quite the interesting pre-colonial history. Nigeria was one of the British colonies during the mid 19th and early 20th century. Before colonization Nigeria was dominated by a number of powerful kingdoms/Empires. During the 16th century to 18th century, the three biggest empires were the Yoruba Oyo Empire, the Hausa-Fulani and the Igbo kingdom. These kingdoms thrived on the Atlantic slave trade because of high demands of slaves by the European colonies.

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There is a rich pre-colonial history of art in Nigeria, as archaeologist have found, around the time from 800 B.C to 200 A.D. the Nok or Ife culture was the dominant culture who made terra-cotta sculptures and probably knew how to work tin and iron.
The first centralized state Kanem- Bonu was founded in the 8th century north of Lake Chad.They expanded south of lake Chad into current day Nigeria.

Igbo kingdom or Igboland located in Southeastern Nigeria is a non- governmental cultural region. The Igbo people in the southeast lived in small village communities. The Igbo people would be the first group to trade with the western world. They traded agriculture produce from coastal middlemen to the Portuguese during the late 15th century, they followed by trading slaves to the Portuguese. Trade with Portuguese expanded and they began trading with the British, Dutch and French. Individuals who became wealthy from their trades with European countries established city states like Bonny, Owome, and Okrika.

http://www.reformedogboni.com/sites/default/files/slave-caravans-on-the-road.jpg

There were major internal changes in Nigeria in the 19th cent. In 1804, Usuman dan Fodio, a Fulani and a pious Muslim, began a holy war to reform the practice of Islam in the north. He soon conquered the Hausa city-states, but Bornu, led by Muhammad al-Kanemi until 1835, maintained its independence. In 1817, Usuman dan Fodio’s son, Muhammad Bello established a state centered at Sokoto, which controlled most of N Nigeria until the coming of the British. Under both Usuman dan Fodio and Muhammad Bello, Muslim culture, and also trade, flourished in the Fulani empire. In Bornu, Muhammad al-Kanemi was succeeded by Umar, under whom the empire disintegrated.

The Hausa Fulani were founded in the 11 century. These were the first of the three main empires in Nigeria to be formed. They were a group of people who practiced the Muslim faith. this would mean that there were a lot of scholars.

In the southwestern area of Nigeria the Yoruba oyo and Benin had developed by the 14th cent. The rulers of both states traced their origins to Nok or Ife, renowned for its naturalistic terra-cotta and brass sculpture. Benin was the leading state in the 15th cent. but began to decline in the 17th cent., and by the 18th cent. Oyo controlled Yorubaland. The Igbo people in the southeast lived in small village communities.

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Nigeria would be colonized by Britain in the mid-late 19th century and early 20th century. Nigeria is granted full independence on October 1, 1960, as a federation of three regions.
little is known of the earlier histories of Nigeria because by 2000 B.C most of Nigeria was inhabited by herders and farmers with knowledge of raising crops and herding animals.

http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/world/nigeria-history.html#ixzz3EIK9ujKf