Nok << nok >> was a West African civilization that flourished from about 500 B.C. until around A.D. 200. Archaeologists became aware of Nok in the 1940’s, when small clay statues were discovered along the Jos Plateau in central Nigeria. These statues are the oldest sculptures ever found in Africa south of the Sahara. Bernard Fagg, a British archaeologist, studied these sculptures and other objects to learn about Nok’s people and culture. Fagg determined that Nok was spread along an area between the Niger and Benue rivers, southwest of the Jos Plateau. He named the culture Nok after the modern-day Nigerian village of Nok, where the statues were discovered.
The Nok sculptures are human and animal figures made of terra cotta (baked clay). Most stand no more than a foot (30 centimeters) high, but some are nearly life-size. Distinctive features of Nok sculpture include a semicircular or triangular shape of the eyes. Most figures are hollow, with holes in the pupils, ears, noses, and mouths. Scholars are unsure what function the sculptures served. The figures may have been placed above the front doors of houses or displayed on altars.
Nok’s people were among the earliest ironworkers in Africa. They used low, circular iron-smelting furnaces. They also worked with some stone tools, particularly polished stone axes.
Little is known about the details of Nok society. Archaeologists’ efforts to learn more about Nok have been hindered by looting of the Jos region. Thieves have taken many of the terra-cotta sculptures and sold them on the international art market.
See also Nigeria.
