Igbo Ukwu

Igbo-Ukwu ( English: ''Great Igbo'') is a town in the Nigerian state of Anambra in the south-central part of the country. The town comprises three quarters namely Obiuno, Ngo, and Ihite (an agglomeration of 4 quarters) with several villages within each quarter and thirty-six (36) administrative wards. It is also bordered by Ora-eri, Ichida, Azigbo, Ezinifite, Amichi, Isuofia, Ikenga and some other towns.

History

Igbo-Ukwu, originally known as Igbo-Nkwo, was the capital of the Kingdom of Nri beginning in the 8th or 9th century CE. It was the center of an extensive trade system linking the town with Gao on the Niger bend and, through there, to Egypt and North Africa. It was also a prominent center of lost-wax casting in bronze, one of the earliest in Africa.

The modern town saw an outbreak of vigilante violence in 2013.

Archaeological significance

Igbo-Ukwu is notable for three archaeological sites, where excavations have found bronze artifacts from a highly sophisticated bronze metal-working culture dating to 9th century AD, centuries before other known bronzes of the region.

The first, called ''Igbo Isaiah'', was uncovered in 1938 by Isaiah Anozie, a local villager, who found the bronze works while digging beside his home. Five bronze artifacts from the original excavation are now in the British Museum's collection. They include a small staff, a head of a ram, a large manilla, an intricately designed crescent-shaped vessel and a small pendant in the shape of a local chief's head with scarification (ichi) marks on the face.

Formal excavations by the archaeologist Thurstan Shaw in 1959 at the request of the Nigerian government, resulted in the discovery of two other sites, ''Igbo Richard'' and ''Igbo Jonah,'' containing the remains of an ancient culture. Later, these were excavated as well. Artifacts have included jewelry, ceramics, a corpse adorned in what appears to be regalia, and many assorted bronze, copper, and iron objects. Some of these contain materials that are evidence of a long-distance trading system extending to Egypt.

Radiocarbon dating placed the sites to 850 AD,Thurstan Shaw, Those Igbo-Ukwu radiocarbon dates: facts, fictions, and probabilities, Journal of African History, 1975 which would make the Igbo-Ukwu culture the earliest-known example of bronze casting in the region. The archaeological sites in southeastern Nigeria are associated with the Nri-Igbo. The three sites include Igbo Isaiah (a shrine), Igbo Richard (a burial chamber), and Igbo Jonah (a cache). Artifacts found in these sites have shown that by the 9th century AD, the Igbo-Ukwu people had established a complex religious system and an economy based on agriculture and trade with other African peoples as far as the Nile valley.

Gallery

File:Igbo ukwu face pendant.png, Igbo ukwu face pendant
File:Double egg pendant, leaded bronze, 9th-10th century, unearthed in Igbo Ukwu, Anambra,.png, Double egg pendant, leaded bronze, 9th-10th century, unearthed in Igbo Ukwu, Anambra
File:Shell Vessel with Leopard from Igbo-Ukwu,.png, Shell Vessel with Leopard from Igbo-Ukwu
File:Igbo-ukwu bowl.png, Igbo-ukwu bowl
File:Bronze pot, Igbo-Ukwu, 9th century.JPG, Bronze pot, Igbo-Ukwu
File:Bronze ceremonial vessel in form of a snail shell, 9th century, Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria.JPG, Bronze ceremonial vessel in form of a snail shell, 9th century, Igbo-Ukwu
File:Igbo ukwu vass.png, Igbo ukwu Vass
File:Bronze ornamental staff head, 9th century, Igbo-Ukwu.JPG, Bronze ornamental staff head, 9th century, Igbo-Ukwu
File:Intricate bronze ceremonial pot, 9th century, Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria.jpg, Intricate bronze ceremonial pot, 9th century, Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria
File:Intricate ornamental staff head, 9th century, bronze, Igbo-Ukwu.JPG, Intricate ornamental staff head, 9th century, bronze, Igbo-Ukwu
File:Igbo ukwu bronzes.jpg, Igbo ukwu bronzes
File:Igbo ukwu pendant.jpg, Igbo ukwu pendant
File:Glass beads from Igbo-Ukwu.jpg, Glass beads from Igbo-Ukwu
File:Igbo Isaiah a shrine.png, Igbo-Ukwu textile
File:High priest.png, High priest
File:Cresentric bowl, bronze, 9th century, Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria.JPG, Cresentric bowl, bronze, 9th century, Igbo-Ukwu
File:Igbo Ukwu vessel.jpg, Igbo Ukwu vessel

Climate

In Igbo-Ukwu, the dry season is muggy and partially cloudy, and the climate is warm all year round. The wet season is oppressive and overcast. The average annual temperature fluctuates between 64°F and 85°F, rarely falling below 56°F or rising over 88°F.

The difference in temperature in Igbo-Ukwu is so little throughout the year that talking about hot and cold seasons isn't really helpful.

See also

* Kingdom of Nri

References

Sources

*

{{portal, Traditional African religion
Nri-Igbo
Towns in Anambra State
Archaeological sites of Western Africa