Bilan chronologique de la culture nok et nouvelles datations sur des sculptures

Abstract

Since the beginning of the nineties, the Jos region (central Nigeria) has suffered considerable plunder of its archaeological sites, and several thousands of sculptures have thus been unearthed essentially to supply the western art market. Inside some of these sculptures, studied as part of a dissertation thesis, pieces of charcoal were discovered and dated by radiocarbon. The publication of these new data gives us the opportunity to draw up a critical evaluation of the chronological information presently known and to review the chronological time span of the Nok culture. The display of the presence of these pieces of charcoal within the sculptures provides also information on the techniques of fabrication, and in particular, about the use of bracing structures placed inside some of the sculptures before the firing phase.

Keywords

• Nok culture
• terracotta sculptures
• dating
• techniques of fabrication
• bracing structures.