Les terres cuites du delta intérieur du Niger : de l’esthétisme à l’histoire de l’art

Abstract

The analysis of publications dealing with terracotta statuettes from the Inland Niger Delta is an opportunity to review our knowledge on those artefacts: the overwhelming majority of the statuettes were plundered and are totally out of context. Grouped into categories made for the art market, they seem mute as for their origins and meanings.A small number of statuettes were uncovered during scientific excavations, but it is deceptive: they were made within a particular context which does not necessarily reflect a broader historical one.Current research on the archaeological sites around the modern village of Thial (Inland Niger Delta) allows to deal with the statuary from a renewed perspective and points toward a new appraisal of the terracottas from the Inland Niger Delta.

Keywords

• terracotta statuettes
• pottery
• pillage