New Interpretations And Explorations Into the Nok Culture.
In 1928 alluvial tin miners on Nigeria's Jos Plateau, right outside the village of Nok, made a discovery that would alter the course of African art history. They discovered a small terracotta head, part of a then-unknown artistic tradition. Bernard Fagg would lead subsequent archaeological excavations that would reveal more figurative terracotta sculptures. Stylized images of human beings, animals, and fantastic beasts richly adorned with beads, bracelets, capes, and in true African style elaborately arranged hairstyles. Evidence Iron smelting was soon found at the nearby village of Taruga. The original set of radiocarbon dates would situate both the Nok iron smelting and figurative sculpture tradition between 500 BCE and 200 C.E. This made them the earliest known artistic and ironworking culture in Subsaharan Africa yet discovered. The works are rich in symbolism and complexity. One iconic example shows interconnected figures with alternating sex characteristics (breasts and bea