Male head; Bura Ashinda Sikka culture, Niger Delta
Male head; Bura Ashinda Sikka culture, Niger Delta, 5th-7th century AD.
Terracotta.
Provenance: Private collection, USA.
Size: 24.5 x 14 x 9 cm.
Male head made in terracotta, with the features of the face (mouth, eyes, nose, ears) very schematized, as well as the shape, and a series of small wide lines arranged in two bands that highlight even more the face of the bearded male figure.
The Bura culture (Bura system) refers to a group of archaeological sites in the lower Niger River valley of Nigeria and Burkina Faso. More specifically, to the Iron Age civilisation exemplified by the Bura culture found in the southwestern part of modern-day Niger and the southeastern part of present-day Burkina Faso (formerly known as Upper Volta). The oldest archaeological remains of the Bura-Asinda culture from the first millennium in the West African Sahel have been dated to the 3rd century AD and lasting until the 13th century. But very little is known about this civilisation and its culture, as it was discovered only a few decades ago in 1975; it was not until 1983 that the first archaeological excavation began. Named after the Bura archaeological site near Bura in southwestern Niger, the Bura culture produced a variety of distinctive artefacts made of clay, iron and stone. However, it is not yet known how the entire Bura system was linked to other ancient African cultures and to later Islamic-influenced Sahelian kingdoms such as Ghana, early Mali, later Mali or Songhai.
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Male head; Bura Ashinda Sikka culture, Niger Delta, 5th-7th century AD.
Terracotta.
Provenance: Private collection, USA.
Size: 24.5 x 14 x 9 cm.
Male head made in terracotta, with the features of the face (mouth, eyes, nose, ears) very schematized, as well as the shape, and a series of small wide lines arranged in two bands that highlight even more the face of the bearded male figure.
The Bura culture (Bura system) refers to a group of archaeological sites in the lower Niger River valley of Nigeria and Burkina Faso. More specifically, to the Iron Age civilisation exemplified by the Bura culture found in the southwestern part of modern-day Niger and the southeastern part of present-day Burkina Faso (formerly known as Upper Volta). The oldest archaeological remains of the Bura-Asinda culture from the first millennium in the West African Sahel have been dated to the 3rd century AD and lasting until the 13th century. But very little is known about this civilisation and its culture, as it was discovered only a few decades ago in 1975; it was not until 1983 that the first archaeological excavation began. Named after the Bura archaeological site near Bura in southwestern Niger, the Bura culture produced a variety of distinctive artefacts made of clay, iron and stone. However, it is not yet known how the entire Bura system was linked to other ancient African cultures and to later Islamic-influenced Sahelian kingdoms such as Ghana, early Mali, later Mali or Songhai.
