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![Nok Culture](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/360x202/10320.jpg?v=1699394406)
Definition
Nok Culture
The Nok culture, named after the settlement of the same name, flourished in southern West Africa (modern Nigeria) during the Iron Age from the 5th century BCE to the 2nd century CE. Famous for the distinctive terracotta sculptures of human...
![Nok Culture Fragment of a Figure](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/360x202/7935.jpg?v=1599504304)
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Nok Culture Fragment of a Figure
As a result of erosion and mining, one of the oldest and most sophistcated art-producing cultures known in sub-Saharan Africa came to light in the mid-20th century. Hundreds of hollow figures, heads, and fragments made of coarse clay have...
![Map of Nok Culture Territory](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/360x202/10324.png?v=1718066223)
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Map of Nok Culture Territory
A map indicating the approximate territory inhabited by the people of West Africa's Nok Culture (flourished 500 BCE - 200 CE) in modern-day Nigeria.
![Cat Statue from the Nok Culture](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/360x202/3484.jpg?v=1684874943)
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Cat Statue from the Nok Culture
A human-headed cat statue from the Nok Culture. From modern-day Nigeria. 500 BCE to 200 CE. (State Museum of Egyptian Art, Munich, Germany).
![Ife](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/360x202/10301.jpg?v=1643362203)
Definition
Ife
Ife (aka Ile-Ife) was an ancient African city which flourished between the 11th and 15th century CE in what is today Nigeria in West Africa. Ife was the capital and principal religious centre of the Yoruba kingdom of Ife, which prospered...
![Nok Sculpture](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/360x202/10320.jpg?v=1699394406)
Image
Nok Sculpture
A terracotta figurine produced by the Nok Culture of southern West Africa (500 BCE - 200 CE). (Louvre Museum, Paris)
![Kingdom of Benin](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/360x202/10343.jpg?v=1705014907)
Definition
Kingdom of Benin
The Kingdom of Benin, located in the southern forests of West Africa (modern Nigeria) and formed by the Edo people, flourished from the 13th to 19th century CE. The capital, also called Benin, was the hub of a trade network exclusively controlled...
![A Gallery of Ancient African Art](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/360x202/10343.jpg?v=1705014907)
Image Gallery
A Gallery of Ancient African Art
In this gallery, we look at striking examples of art from across the African continent. In gold, stone and metals, ancient and medieval African artists have not only given us unique pieces of art to admire but their works are also an insight...
![The Empires of West Africa](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/360x202/10344.jpg?v=1695201843)
Collection
The Empires of West Africa
The ancient and medieval Mediterranean might have been a bustling stage of ever-changing empires but, across the inhospitable barrier of the Sahara Desert, West Africans were equally busy building up and toppling down their own kingdoms and...
![Hallstatt Culture](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/360x202/13743.jpeg?v=1699394343)
Definition
Hallstatt Culture
The Hallstatt culture is named after the site of that name in Austria and it flourished in central Europe from the 8th to 6th century BCE. The full period of its presence extends from c. 1200 to c. 450 BCE - from the Late Bronze Age to the...