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  • Wk1igbo-Ukwu Culture

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    Tamilore Williams
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    Igbo-Ukwu is an ancient Igbo town in Nigeria where numerous bronze artifacts were discovered beginning in the 1930s during excavations. The artifacts uncovered included ritual objects, beads, bowls, and a king-priest's burial items indicating an advanced culture. The Igbo-Ukwu people were skilled bronze smiths who created intricate objects using lost-wax casting as early as the 9th century, providing the first evidence of artistic copper use in Africa.

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    WK1IGBO-UKWU CULTURE

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    Igbo-Ukwu is an ancient Igbo town in Nigeria where numerous bronze artifacts were discovered beginning in the 1930s during excavations. The artifacts uncovered included ritual objects, beads, bowls, and a king-priest's burial items indicating an advanced culture. The Igbo-Ukwu people were skilled bronze smiths who created intricate objects using lost-wax casting as early as the 9th century, providing the first evidence of artistic copper use in Africa.

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    3K views3 pages

    Wk1igbo-Ukwu Culture

    Uploaded by

    Tamilore Williams
    Igbo-Ukwu is an ancient Igbo town in Nigeria where numerous bronze artifacts were discovered beginning in the 1930s during excavations. The artifacts uncovered included ritual objects, beads, bowls, and a king-priest's burial items indicating an advanced culture. The Igbo-Ukwu people were skilled bronze smiths who created intricate objects using lost-wax casting as early as the 9th century, providing the first evidence of artistic copper use in Africa.

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    IGBO-UKWU CULTURE

    LOCATION OF IGBO-UKWU ON THE MAP OF NIGERIA

    Igbo-Ukwu is an ancient Igbo town located in Aguata Local Government Area of


    Anambra State in the South-east geo-political zone of Nigeria.
    THE PEOPLE OF IGBO-UKWU
    The people of Igbo-Ukwu are one of the Igbo speaking people in the South-
    eastern Nigeria.
    Igbo-Ukwu used to be part of Uri kingdom which existed in the 9h century.
    ARTIFACTS
    The history behind the discovery of Igbo-Ukwu culture can be traced to the
    excavation carried out by Professor Thurstan Shaw in 1960 and 1964.
    The discovery led to the excavation of sites at Igbo-Ukwu. The objects were
    mainly of bronze materials that were discovered accidently in 1938 while digging a toilet
    pit.
    A large number of artifacts made of bronze were found in Igbo-Ukwu. These
    include a roped pot, an altar stand, beaded chains, bowls, shells, pendants, manilla and
    thousands of
    beads. Some of the artifacts are also decorated with coloured glass beads and
    stones. The artifacts suggest ritual objects.
    These sites were named after the compound where they were found. E.g. They
    are as follows:
    a) Igbo-Isaiah: In Isaiah Anozie compound, a shrine was discovered. The major
    artifacts in the shrine were a rope pot, an altar stand, beaded chains and crotals, a bowl
    on stand etc.
    b) Igbo-Richard: In the compound of Richard Anozie, the tomb (burial
    chamber) of a priest-king was discovered. The following were also found with this
    corpse: copper anklets and
    strings of beads, breastplate, beaded head-dress, bronze crown, bronze leopard
    skull etc.
    c) Igbo-Jonah: In the compound of Jonah Anozie a refuse dump where most
    decorated pot that was ever made by any potter before was discovered.

    A Burial chamber of a king-priest


    OCCUPATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF IGBO-UKWU
    The people of Igbo-Ukwu were about the earliest smithers in West Africa.
    They used lost –wax casting method for bronze sculpture production.
    The Igbo-Ukwu were great farmers known for the production of mostly food
    crops like cassava, yam, cocoyam etc. And traded with other Nigerian groups.
    They were also popular for tapping and sale of palm wine.

    FEATURES OF IGBO-UKWU CULTURE


    a. Igbo-Ukwu culture is mostly centred on the discovery of objects made from
    bronze.
    b. The discoveries in Igbo-Ukwu showed objects that depicted the traditional
    burial sites of their rulers.
    c. The bronze objects of Igbo-Ukwu have some similarities with Benin culture.
    d. The discovery sites were named according to the compound where each
    discovery was made.

    SIGNIFICANCE OF IGBO-UKWU IN NIGERIAN HISTORY.


    1. The bronze works found in Igbo-Ukwu provide us with the first evidence of
    the artistic use of copper in the whole of Black Africa.
    2. The Igbo-Ukwu people were among the earliest groups of West Africans to
    employ the lost-wax casting techniques in making bronze sculptures.
    3. The Igbo-Ukwu objects were beautiful with unique designs.
    4. Igbo-Ukwu is significant for revealing the intergroup relations between
    Nigeria and other parts of the world.

    Excavation site at Igbo-Ukwu

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