Nok culture

An early Iron Age culture of central Nigeria, known for terracotta sculptures and evidence of ironworking. Its archaeological sites span a broad region around the Jos Plateau.

Nok terracotta: A fired-clay sculpture made by the Nok culture, often depicting a human head or figure with distinctive features. These sculptures are the culture’s most recognizable surviving works.
Iron smelting: The extraction of iron from ore by heating it with a reducing agent, usually charcoal, in a furnace. Furnace remains at Nok sites provide evidence of iron production.
Bernard Fagg: A British archaeologist who conducted foundational research on Nok terracottas and ironworking in Nigeria. His excavations and fieldwork established Nok as an archaeological subject.
Archaeological stratigraphy: The study of layered deposits to establish the relative sequence of archaeological events. Stratigraphic context helps distinguish Nok occupation phases and later disturbance.
Taruga: An archaeological site in central Nigeria with Nok terracotta fragments and evidence of early iron smelting. Its excavations linked Nok material remains with ironworking.
Bloomery: A furnace that reduces iron ore into a spongy mass of iron and slag rather than molten iron. This furnace type explains how early iron could be produced without melting it.
Radiocarbon dating: A method for estimating the age of organic materials by measuring radioactive carbon-14 decay. It helped date charcoal associated with Nok sites and furnaces.
Thermoluminescence dating: A dating method that estimates when minerals were last heated by measuring stored radiation released as light. It can date fired clay when organic material is unavailable.
Samun Dukiya: An archaeological site in central Nigeria associated with Nok culture settlements and terracotta finds. It provides settlement evidence alongside the better-known sculptures.
Iron Age: A period in which iron became a major material for tools and weapons, with timing varying by region. Nok belongs to an early African development of ironworking.

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