One of the prominent ancient civilizations discovered in Nigeria is referred to as the Nok. In 1943, archaeologist Brenden Fagg discovered terracottas and other ancient artifacts dating back as far as 500 B.C. in and around central Nigeria. This was the beginning of modern society’s investigation into the prehistoric civilization, which is now thought to be proof of one of the earliest African civilization in the sub-Saharan region.
Little is known about who the Nok came into contact with or how large their civilization was, but through pieces of pottery and iron-work, archaeologists have been able to put together a tentative timeline about the population. The terracotta sculptures discovered by Fagg and others after him depict a highly advanced society. Some themes found in the sculptures include illness, warfare, music, and love. The clay used for terracotta figures spanning across all of Nigeria seemingly comes from a specific, unidentified source which indicates a possible centralized production zone. Some archaeologists explained that the Nok were experts at making terracotta which signifies that there could have been a terracotta making “guild” or “allegiance” which indicates a structured class hierarchy. Another clue that identifies this class differentiation is the variety of sculptures created. There are soldiers, common people, and many depicting people in jewelry and large hair pieces and robes which signifies a royalty of some sort.
Iron and stone has also been discovered in this region which dates between 519 and 410 B.C., coinciding with the existence of the Nok culture. Peter Breuing, one of the leading researchers on Nok culture, was able to determine a time when iron and stone features coexisted. Apparently excavators found iron tools a short distance away from stone axes which signifies that they could have been used within the same community. The reason they existed at the same time is because of a lag in technology that exists within cultures, similar to when the new iPhone comes out. Some people do not have the money or resources to upgrade to the newer one, so for a period in time the different devices coexist. An interesting thought about the Nok is that there seems to be no proof of a Copper Age between the Stone and Iron age, which is a very rare transition to make. This puzzles scholars, sending them into an intense debate about this prehistoric civilization.
There is a very little known about how the Nok civilization perished, because it seemed to be thriving so well right before its disappearance. Through pottery and terracotta within the layers of soil, researchers have said that sometime after 200 A.D. the population took a nosedive, and they still cannot answer the question of why. All they can say is that this was most likely one of Africa’s first civilizations that was isolated from any other cultures following them.
Sources:
http://originalpeople.org/the-nok-civilization-of-nigeria/
http://africanhistory.about.com/od/kingdoms/a/NokCulture.htm