Samun Dukiya
Encyclopedia
Samun Dukiya is an archeological site in Nigeria
in the Nok
valley where artifacts from the Nok culture have been found, dating to between 300 BC and 100 BC.
Radio-carbon dating indicates that the site was occupied between 2500 and 2000 years ago.
No traces of occupation before the Iron age
have been found.
The site contained broken pottery, iron and other artifacts, and fragments of terracotta statues which may have been used in shrines.
Angela Fagg, daughter of the archeologist Bernard Fagg
, has discovered parts of earthenware figurines and pottery, shaped stone implements including a stone axe and a large deeply grooved stone. She also found many pieces of iron objects including hooks, bracelets, knife fragments, arrowheads, spearheads and a cylinder made from a rolled metal band.
The iron slag has been dated to around 210 BC.
Although part of the same artistic tradition, there are stylistic differences between the domestic pottery found in Samun Dukiya and that of other Nok sites at Taruga
and Katsina-Ala
.
It seems probable that the overall Nok style was adopted by various farming communities of different peoples, rather than being the work of one people.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
in the Nok
Nok
The Nok culture appeared in Nigeria around 1000 B.C. and mysteriously vanished around 500 AD in the region of West Africa. This region lies in Central Nigeria. The culture’s social system is thought to have been highly advanced. The Nok culture was considered to be the earliest sub-Saharan producer...
valley where artifacts from the Nok culture have been found, dating to between 300 BC and 100 BC.
Radio-carbon dating indicates that the site was occupied between 2500 and 2000 years ago.
No traces of occupation before the Iron age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
have been found.
The site contained broken pottery, iron and other artifacts, and fragments of terracotta statues which may have been used in shrines.
Angela Fagg, daughter of the archeologist Bernard Fagg
Bernard Fagg
Bernard Evelyn Buller Fagg was a British archaeologist and Museum curator who undertook extensive work in Nigeria before and after the Second World War....
, has discovered parts of earthenware figurines and pottery, shaped stone implements including a stone axe and a large deeply grooved stone. She also found many pieces of iron objects including hooks, bracelets, knife fragments, arrowheads, spearheads and a cylinder made from a rolled metal band.
The iron slag has been dated to around 210 BC.
Although part of the same artistic tradition, there are stylistic differences between the domestic pottery found in Samun Dukiya and that of other Nok sites at Taruga
Taruga
Taruga is an archeological site in Nigeria famous for the artifacts of the Nok culture that have been discovered there, some dating to 600 BC, and for evidence of very early iron working.The site is 60 km southeast of Abuja, in the Middle Belt....
and Katsina-Ala
Katsina-Ala
Katsina-Ala is a Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Katsina-Ala where the A344 highway starts...
.
It seems probable that the overall Nok style was adopted by various farming communities of different peoples, rather than being the work of one people.