Mineralogical and geochemical analyses of pottery and terracotta of the Nok Culture, Nigeria

The Nok Culture is primarily known for its terracottas which represent the earliest figurative art in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the cutural context of these figurines remains more or less unknown. Preliminary mineralogical und geochemical analyses indicate that the pottery and terracotta of the Nok Culture were produced in different ways. While the pottery seems to have been manufactured exclusively locally (clay and temper), the terracotta appears to be made out of a special clay and a particular composition of the (local) tempering materials. New investigations by means of a portable XRF-analyzer and thin sections should clarify this picture. These analyses may contribute to locating the clay deposits that were used to produce the terracotta figurines. Clay sources that are still in use today in the area of the Nok Culture are intended to serve as a reference. It is hoped that this may give clues to the places of production and thereby indirectly to the social organization of the society.