Igbo-Ukwu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Igbo-Ukwu
9th century Igbo-Ukwu bronze ceremonial staff head
Igbo-Ukwu Location in Nigeria
Country	Nigeria
State	Anambra
LGA	Aguata
Population  (2007)
• Total	79,317
• Ethnicity	Igbo 99%
• Religion	Christianity Odinani
Time zone	UTC+1 (WAT)
National language	Igbo

Igbo-Ukwu (pronounced EE-boh OO-kwoo) is a town in Anambra State in Nigeria. Its name means "Great Igbo" in the Igbo language. The town has three main parts: Obiuno, Ngo, and Ihite. Many villages are found within these parts. Igbo-Ukwu is surrounded by other towns like Ora-eri and Ichida.

Discovering Ancient Igbo-Ukwu

Igbo-Ukwu is famous for three archaeological sites. An archaeological site is a place where people find old objects and buildings from the past. At these sites, amazing bronze objects were found. These objects show that a very skilled metalworking culture lived here. They made these bronzes around 9th century AD. This was hundreds of years before other known bronzes in the area.

The First Discovery: Igbo Isaiah

In 1938, a local villager named Isaiah Anozie found the first bronze works. He was digging near his home. This site was named Igbo Isaiah after him. Five of these original bronze objects are now in the British Museum. They include a small staff, a ram's head, and a beautiful crescent-shaped pot. There is also a small pendant shaped like a chief's head. It has special marks called ichi on its face.

More Discoveries: Igbo Richard and Igbo Jonah

Later, in 1959, an archaeologist named Thurstan Shaw led more digs. The Nigerian government asked him to do this. He found two more sites: Igbo Richard and Igbo Jonah. These sites held even more ancient objects. They found jewelry, pots, and a body dressed in what looked like royal clothes. Many objects made of bronze, copper, and iron were also found. Some materials found here show that the people traded with places as far away as Egypt.

Dating the Discoveries

Scientists used a method called Radiocarbon dating to find the age of the sites. They found that the objects are from around 850 AD. This means the Igbo-Ukwu culture was the earliest known group to cast bronze in this region. These sites are linked to the Nri-Igbo people. The three sites were used for different things:

• Igbo Isaiah was a shrine (a holy place).
• Igbo Richard was a burial chamber (where people were buried).
• Igbo Jonah was a cache (a hidden collection of valuable items).

The objects found show that by the 9th century AD, the Igbo-Ukwu people had a complex religious system. They also had an economy based on farming and trading with other African groups.

The Art of Igbo-Ukwu Metalworking

The people of Igbo-Ukwu were very skilled at working with metal. They were the first in West Africa to work with copper and its alloys (mixtures of metals). They shaped metal by hammering, bending, twisting, and carving it.

They were also likely among the first in West Africa to use the lost-wax casting method. This is a special way to make bronze sculptures. In this method, a wax model is made, then covered in clay. When heated, the wax melts away, leaving a mold for liquid metal.

It's interesting that even though they were so skilled, Igbo smiths seemed to have limited other metalworking techniques. They didn't use methods like soldering (joining metals with heat) or making wire. These methods were used in other parts of Africa.

Gallery

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  Igbo ukwu face pendant

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  Double egg pendant, leaded bronze, 9th-10th century, unearthed in Igbo Ukwu, Anambra

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  Shell Vessel with Leopard from Igbo-Ukwu

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  Igbo-ukwu bowl

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  Bronze pot, Igbo-Ukwu

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  Bronze ceremonial vessel in form of a snail shell, 9th century, Igbo-Ukwu

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  Igbo ukwu Vass

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  Bronze ornamental staff head, 9th century, Igbo-Ukwu

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  Intricate bronze ceremonial pot, 9th century, Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria

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  Intricate ornamental staff head, 9th century, bronze, Igbo-Ukwu

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  Igbo ukwu bronzes

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  Igbo ukwu pendant

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  Glass beads from Igbo-Ukwu

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  Igbo-Ukwu textile

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  High priest

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  Cresentric bowl, bronze, 9th century, Igbo-Ukwu

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  Igbo Ukwu vessel

Climate in Igbo-Ukwu

The weather in Igbo-Ukwu is warm all year round. The dry season is often humid and partly cloudy. The wet season is usually very humid and cloudy. The average temperature stays between 64°F (18°C) and 85°F (29°C). It rarely gets colder than 56°F (13°C) or hotter than 88°F (31°C). Because the temperature doesn't change much, there aren't really "hot" or "cold" seasons here.

See also

• Kingdom of Nri

Images for kids

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  Human and ram's head pendants from Igbo-Ukwu in the British Museum