The archaeology of Igbo-Ukwu is the study of an archaeological site located in a town of the same name: Igbo-Ukwu , an Igbo town in Anambra State in southeastern Nigeria . As a result of these findings, three excavation areas at Igbo-Ukwu were opened in 1959 and 1964 by Charles Thurstan Shaw : Igbo Richard, Igbo Isaiah, and Igbo Jonah. Excavations revealed more than 700 high quality artifacts of copper, bronze and iron, as well as about 165,000 glass, carnelian and stone beads, pottery, textiles and ivory beads, cups, and horns. The bronzes include numerous ritual vessels, pendants, crowns, breastplates, staff ornaments, swords, and fly-whisk handles.
60-765: Agulu is a large town in Anambra State , Nigeria . It is located in Anaocha Local Government Area . Agulu is under the Anambra Central Senatorial District. It is home to the Agulu Lake. Agulu community has prominent men and women in politics , industries, academia and the government. The community also has produced a Governor in Anambra State in the person of Mr Peter Obi. Agulu is also known for
120-551: A millennium earlier. Following a 2014 memorial for Shaw, Igwe of Igbo-Ukwu Martin E. Ezeh granted permission for new fieldwork at Igbo-Ukwu. New plans for exploration of the site were coordinated by Shaw's wife, Pamela Jane Smith Shaw, in 2019 and 2021. Fieldwork on this project aimed at expanding the temporal and spatial record of the ancient settlement. Archaeologists further excavated Igbo Richard, Igbo Isaiah, and Igbo Jonah, discovering an assemblage of large ceramic pottery and evidence of cultural deposits. The Igbo-Ukwu site
180-422: A compound wall which had to be removed before the excavation. Additionally, there are features (likely tree stumps) filled with small pieces of pottery. The Igbo Richard site contained human remains from several individuals, beaded wristlets and anklets, and a wooden stool which has been associated with a single set of human skeletal remains (possibly belonging to a priest-king). The Igbo Jonah site (which produced
240-516: A known automobile hub within Nigeria and Africa . The state name was formed in 1976 from the former East Central State . The state is named after Omambala River , a river that runs through the state. Anambra is the anglicized name of the Omambala . The State capital is Awka . The city of Onitsha , a historic port city from the pre-colonial era, remains an important centre of commerce within
300-462: A level of technical accomplishment that is notably more advanced than European bronze casting of this period. The high technical proficiency and lack of known prototypes of the Igbo-Ukwu bronzes led to initial speculation in the academic community that they must have been created after European contact and phantom voyagers were postulated. However research and isotope analysis has established that
360-812: A memorandum of understanding with Galway modular housing company, Affordable Building Concepts International, for 10,000 housing units to be built in the state. Given decades of neglect of infrastructure and bad governance, the shift in human migration has posed problems for the state. Infrastructure improvements, both physical and social, have lagged behind the growth in population. There are problems in environmental sanitation, erosion control, and provision of social services. Major cities have become characterized by inadequate and deteriorated road networks and walkways, unregulated building patterns, poor sanitation, uncontrolled street trading, mountains of garbage, and chaotic transport systems, creating congestion, noise pollution, and overcrowding. The government of Peter Obi, with
420-413: A range of 1075–1110 BP, with a standard error of ±100 and ±150 years, dating the site to the 9th century. The standard deviation of radiocarbon dates was much greater at the time when Shaw published his dates, and more recent advancements in the accuracy of radiocarbon dating have allowed for a more precise range of dates for Igbo-Ukwu. In 2022, Daraojimba et al. found that coal and wood samples from one of
480-580: A sophisticated divine Kingship administrative system, which held sway in the area of Anambra from c. 948 AD to 1911. In some towns, such as Ogidi and others, local families had hereditary rights to kingship for centuries. Great Britain recognised some of these traditional kings and leaders in their system of indirect rule of the Protectorate of South Nigeria . Beginning in the 19th century, they appointed some noble leaders as Warrant Chiefs, authorizing them to collect taxes, among other duties. Anambra
540-655: Is -0.47% lower than Nigeria's averages. Anambra typically receives about 212.36 millimeters (8.36 inches) of precipitation and has 243.38 rainy days (66.68% of the time) annually. The state has been described as one of the worst places affected by the climate change in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa in 2022 according to the Climate Change Education and Action Programme, (CLEAP). With an annual population growth rate of 2.21 percent per annum, Anambra State has over 60% of its people living in urban areas. It
600-623: Is a fast-growing commercial city and has developed to become a huge conurbation extending to Idemili , Oyi and Anambra East LGAs, with one of the largest markets in West Africa. In 2012 the tri-city area was dubbed the Onitsha-Nnewi-Awka (ONA) Industrial Axis, in recognition of the expanding industrial capacity. Nnewi (sometimes called the Taiwan of Nigeria) is a rapidly developing industrial and commercial centre. Designated as
660-532: Is in the Igbo-dominated area that seceded as part of an independent Biafra in 1967, following rising tensions with Northern Nigeria. During the Nigerian/Biafran war (1967–1970), Biafran engineers constructed a relief airstrip in the town of Uli/Amorka (code named "Annabelle"). Extremely dangerous relief flights took off from Sao Tome and other sites loaded with tons of food and medicine for
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#1732773080511720-800: Is located approximately 366 meters above sea level on a ridge Nanka sands of the Ameki formation characterized by an uneven topography of sandstones and ironstones; the area is mostly deprived of groundwater and surrounded by the Aghomili River in the east and the Obizi River in the west. The artifacts revealed in the 1960–1964 excavations by Thurstan Shaw are situated 40–70 cm below the surface in Igbo Isaiah, and 1.75-2.5 m in Igbo Richard. The third and last unit excavated, Igbo Jonah,
780-500: Is one of the most urbanized states in Nigeria. The major urban centres of Anambra State are Onitsha , Nnewi, Ekwulobia , Ihiala, Aguleri and Awka , the state capital. Awka and Onitsha had developed as pre-colonial urban centres: Awka was the craft industrial centre of the Nri hegemony. Onitsha is a city state on the Niger, having developed as a river port and commercial centre. Onitsha
840-500: Is the Second Niger Bridge at Onitsha . Road Transportation companies; Air Transportation service; Ogbunike Caves , listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site , is one of the most visited tourist sites in Anambra State. It is classified as a sandstone cave (Lateritic sandstones of Campanian-Miocene age). The Owerre Ezukala caves and waterfalls are great tourist attractions in the state. Largely unexplored,
900-683: Is to include Anambra State in the list of oil producing States as stated in the NDDC law through the amendment of Section 2(1)(b) of the NDDC Establishment ACT CAP N 86 LFN 2004. Since the late 1990s, there has been a migration from rural to urban areas in the state, resulting in Anambra becoming a highly urbanized state: 62% of its population lives in urban areas. In October 2015, the APGA -led state government of Willie Obiano , signed
960-483: Is warm, oppressive, and overcast while the dry season is hot, muggy, and partly cloudy. For a period of years, the temperature normally changes from 65 °F to 87 °F. This Anambra State , Nigeria location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Anambra State Anambra State ( Igbo : Ọra Anambra ) is a Nigerian state located in the South-eastern region of
1020-594: The Anambra River basin. On 2 August 2015, the management of Orient Petroleum Resources Plc said the company planned to increase its crude oil production to 3,000 barrels per day by September 2015, as it stepped up production activities in two new oil wells in its Aguleri oil fields. An indigenous company, Nails and Stanley Ltd, was to establish a gas plant at Umueje in Ayamelum Local Government Area to support economic activities in
1080-716: The Shirley Institute of samples found at the same site, provided by Charles Thurstan Shaw . The textile samples recovered by Shaw in 1960 (the whereabouts of which are currently unknown) and those recovered by Isaiah Anozie in 1938 (which belong to the British Museum and are the subject of new analyses) were primarily found to be of two distinct fiber types: bast and leaf/grass. Bast fibers were overwhelmingly attributed to Ficus trees , and leaf/grass fibers were chiefly attributed to Raphia palms . The use of these fibers represents an old weaving tradition from
1140-451: The forest zone of Nigeria, and these materials have almost entirely been replaced by cotton and wool today. These textiles have been speculated to hold religious or spiritual significance, but ethnographic and archaeological evidence is sparse in regard to the meaning of forest zone textiles and tree bast fibers. Therefore, the spiritual significance of these textiles remains speculative. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating
1200-409: The 9th century, and are of high value and historic relevance. Other places of interest in the state includes: Cuisines Archaeology of Igbo-Ukwu Peter Garlake compares the Igbo-Ukwu bronzes "to the finest jewelry of rococo Europe or of Carl Faberge ," and William Buller Fagg states they were created with "a strange rococo almost Faberge type virtuosity". Frank Willett says that
1260-551: The Agulu-Nanka erosion sites. Agulu comprises twenty villages. These are: Nwanchi, Nneohia, Okpu, Ama-Ezike, Odidama, Amorji, Isiamaigbo, Ukunu, Uhueme, Obeagu, Obe, Nkitaku, Okpu-Ifite, Umubialla, Amatutu, Umuowelle, Umunnowu, Ifiteani, Umuifite, and Nneogidi. Notable people from Agulu include: The South-East Region Office of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). Agulu's wet season
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#17327730805111320-602: The British colonialists encountered while heading up to Northern Nigeria from across the riverine areas. They usually described present day Anambra as 'Anam branch' to their colleagues up North. Reason Anam together with some neighboring clans was Anambra LGA when the state was created. It is now Anambra-West LGA with Olumbanasa. Anambra's history stretches to the 9th century AD, as revealed by archaeological excavations at Igbo-Ukwu and Ezira . It has great works of art in iron , bronze , copper , and pottery . These have revealed
1380-637: The Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, a distance of about three kilometres within the city. Anambra International Cargo Airport , Umueri , opened on 7 December 2021. Anambra has good transport links to other states in the country. Federal highways: Other major roads include: The Niger River connects Onitsha Inland Port with the ports of Port Harcourt in Rivers State , and Bururu and Warri in Delta State . Nearing completion
1440-531: The Igbo Ukwu sites, Igbo Isaiah, dated to between the 10th and 13th century. This 10th century dating was further backed by Mcintosh et al.’s study of textiles published in the same year. The new radiocarbon dates open "the possibility that some or all of the Igbo Isaiah bronzes and beads are somewhat younger than previously believed, but certainly pre-date European coastal contact by several centuries. Mcintosh et al. however, state that "These dates do not...narrow
1500-513: The Igbo-Ukwu bronzes portray a standard that is comparable to that established by Benvenuto Cellini five hundred years later in Europe. Denis Williams calls them "an exquisite explosion without antecedent or issue". One of the objects found, a water pot set in a mesh of simulated rope is described by Hugh Honour and John Fleming as A virtuoso feat of cire perdue (lost wax) casting. Its elegant design and refined detailing are matched by
1560-505: The Igbo-Ukwu site, especially in textiles. Samples from the British Museum have allowed for new studies of Igbo-Ukwu fabrics, including a scanning electron microscopy analysis of two fabric samples. This study found that the samples, which were uncovered in 1938 at the Igbo Isaiah compound, were woven with yarn that was 0.3-0.4mm in diameter and weave densities of both 24 warp and 16 weft/cm. These findings follow earlier studies by
1620-790: The Igbo. Some of the glass and carnelian beads have been found to be produced in Old Cairo at the workshops of Fustat thus establishing that a long-distance trade system extending from Igbo Ukwu to Byzantine-era Egypt existed. Archaeological sites containing iron smelting furnaces and slag have been excavated dating to 2000 BC in Lejja and 750 BC in Opi , both in the Nsukka region about 100 kilometers east of Igbo-Ukwu. The initial finds were made by Isaiah Anozie while digging in his compound in 1938. He
1680-734: The Nigerian Department of Antiquities. Other bronze artifacts found in Anozie's compound were collected by Surveyor of Antiquities Kenneth Murray in 1954. From 1959 to 1964, under approval of the Nigerian Department of Antiquities and the University of Ibadan , Thurstan Shaw and his team excavated three areas: Igbo Isaiah, around the original find, as well as Igbo Richard and Igbo Jonah. The archaeological digs revealed hundreds of copper and bronze ritual vessels as well as iron swords, iron spearheads, iron razors and other artifacts dated
1740-544: The Uga airstrip. He named his tiny but effective air force " Babies of Biafra " in honour of the babies who died from starvation inside Biafra. Old Anambra State was created in 1976 from part of East Central State , and its capital was Enugu . In 1991, a re-organisation divided Anambra into two states, Anambra and Enugu . The capital of the New Anambra is Awka . Boundaries are formed by Delta State and Edo State to
1800-609: The actual production process which is an affidavit for the highly developed and intricate work of the ancient artists. The composition of the metal alloys used in the production of the bronze is unique, with an unusually high silver content and is distinct from alloys used in Europe, the Mediterranean or other African bronze centers. About 85-90% of the metal ore used to produce the bronze originated from old mines in Abakilik i about 100 kilometers from Igbo-Ukwu. This finding
1860-482: The artists were able to produce such fine and filigrann surface detail. Some of the techniques used by the ancient smiths are not known to have been used outside Igbo-Ukwu such as the production of complex objects in stages with the different parts later fixed together by brazing or by casting linking sections to join them. However the complexity of some of the Igbo-Ukwu objects has led to considerable altercation between various metallurgic experts and debates regarding
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1920-636: The assistance of the UN-HABITAT , produced 20-year structural plans (2009–2028) for three major cities in the State: Onitsha , Nnewi and Awka – the Capital Territory, to restore urban planning and guide their growth into the future. The plans contain policies and proposals for land use, city beautification, road infrastructure, industrial development, housing, waste disposal, water supply and health and educational facilities to turn
1980-524: The carnelian beads and Susan McIntosh argues that more research is needed into the possibility of any Saharan trade connections. The metal workers of ancient Igbo-Ukwu were not aware of commonly used techniques such as wire making, soldering or riveting which suggests an independent development and long isolation of their metal working tradition. It is therefore perplexing that they were able to create objects with such fine surface detail that they depict, for example small insects which seem to have landed on
2040-526: The caves are said to be the largest in West Africa. The indigenous ethnic groups in Anambra state are the Igbo (99% of the population) and a small population of people who are bilingual Igbo Ukwu Museum: Igbo Ukwu is an ancient town known for its astonishing metal crafts; it continues to attract tourists to see its bronze artifacts. First noticed in 1938, the bronzes were later excavated by Thurstan Shaw (an English archaeologist). They have been dated to
2100-526: The cities into successful urban areas that can generate employment and wealth, and provide high living standards for their residents. Anambra became the first state in Nigeria to adopt structural plans for its cities. With effective implementation, it should systematically grow as a major economic center in Nigeria, and West Africa. The process of urbanization is fairly contributed by population growth, immigration, migration, and infrastructure initiatives like good road, water, power, and gardens, resulting in
2160-491: The country. The state was created on 27 August 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State and Rivers State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi State to the north. The state's capital is Awka , while the state’s largest city is Onitsha which is regarded as one of the largest metropolis in Africa. Nnewi is the second largest commercial and industrial city in Anambra State, and also
2220-411: The date range for the Igbo Richard burial, or illuminate the key question of its temporal relationship to Igbo Isaiah and Igbo Jonah."...there has been a tendency in the literature to regard the three sites as contemporaneous. However, the new dates reported by Daraojimba et al...suggest that Igbo-Ukwu may have been in use for several centuries. Significant findings have been made in the last 50 years at
2280-688: The distressed Biafran population. Uli/Amorka airstrip was the site where American pilots such as Alex Nicoll, and scores of others, delivered tons of relief supplies to the Biafran population. Disgusted by the suffering and mounting death toll in Biafra from starvation, as well as the continuous harassment of the relief planes by the Nigerian Airforce , Carl Gustaf von Rosen resigned as a Red Cross relief pilot. He helped Biafra to form an Airforce of five Minicoin planes Malmö MFI-9 stationed at
2340-513: The growth of villages into towns, town into cities and cities into metros. To have ecologically feasible development, planning requires an understanding of the growth dynamics. There is a fear that if too many people leave the villages, only the aged men and women will be left to farm. This pattern has been seen in Amesi, Akpo, and Achina towns in Aguata local government area. They have been important in
2400-401: The largest urban areas in Nigeria by population. The area currently known as Anambra State has been the site of numerous civilizations since at least the 9th century AD, including the ancient Kingdom of Nri , whose capital was the historic town of Igbo-Ukwu within the state. Residents of Anambra State are primarily Igbo , with the Igbo language serving as a lingua franca throughout
2460-423: The least amount of associated archaeological material) produced a significant example of ritual pottery, as well as charcoal, animals bones, and some bronze sculptures. Further excavations in 2019 and 2021 to the west of Igbo Richard yielded deposits of pottery, bronze, copper, iron objects and slags, chalk, bone, and palm kernel. The first radiocarbon dates from Igbo-Ukwu were published by Shaw in 1970 and gave
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2520-658: The oil and gas industry in the state. Following the attribution of eleven (11) oil wells by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in August 2021, Anambra State joined the league of oil producing States in Nigeria. The process to amend the law that set up the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) through which infrastructure is provided to oil producing States has started. The purpose
2580-475: The production of yam, cocoyam, and cassava through consistent agriculture, but such activities have suffered due to the out-migration of youth to the urban centres. There has been both food scarcity in the region and over-population in urban areas . To upgrade the state capital and improve traffic, Awka , Governor Willie Obiano signed off on construction of three flyovers between the Amawbia and Arroma end of
2640-487: The quantity of beads contributes to the site's uniqueness in Western African archaeology. Archaeologists are able to use the morphology and chemical composition of the beads as insight into Igbo-Ukwu participation in long-distance trade networks and a general chronology of interaction. A recent analysis of 138 beads, selected for a range of different types and colors, showed that the most common type of bead analyzed
2700-439: The second-most densely populated state in Nigeria after Lagos State . The stretch of more than 45 km between the towns of Oba and Amorka contains a cluster of numerous thickly populated villages and small towns, giving the area an estimated average density of 1,500–2,000 persons per square kilometre. The state has a Tropical wet and dry or savanna climate with yearly temperature of 28.99 °C (84.18 °F) and it
2760-465: The source of the metals is of local origin and radio carbon dating has confirmed a 9th-century date, long before the earliest contact with Europe. The Igbo-Ukwu artifacts did away with the hitherto existing colonial era opinions in archeological circles that such magnificent works of art and technical proficiency could only originate in areas with contact to Europe, or that they could not be crafted in an acephalous or egalitarian society such as that of
2820-453: The state capital, Awka has regained its precolonial administrative eminence. Anambra State consists of 21 local government areas . They are: Anambra houses the first Nigerian vehicle manufacturer, Innoson , an automobile manufacturer, located in Nnewi . People all over West Africa travel to Onitsha and Nnewi to trade, which boost the internal revenue of the state. Onitsha is among
2880-553: The state generated $ 5 million from the export of washed bitter leaf. There is a huge deposit of oil and gas in Nigeria, with the Anambra Basin having a great potential of 1000 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves untapped. Having more than 13 oil wells situated in Anambra, the state has the capacity to produce more than 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day, with indigenous companies like Orient Petroleum, and Sterling Oil Exploration and Production Co. LTD (SEEPCO), already leading
2940-480: The state's GDP. One of those was in 2018, when two brothers, Atikpo Chukwuebuka and Ubaka Chukwuebuka, were the first to invent a machine, that could wash off the bitterness from bitter-leaf (a popular vegetable staple in Nigeria). This machine will greatly improve the productivity of vegetable farming in the state. The export of agricultural items is a continual boost to Anambra Internal Generated Revenue. In 2017,
3000-468: The state,while Nnewi is the second largest commercial and industrial city in the state. Nicknamed the "Light of the Nation", Anambra State is the fourteenth most populous state in the nation, although that has seriously been argued against as Onitsha , the state's biggest and most populous urban area was discovered to be over 8.5 million in population in 2022 by Africapolis which makes Onitsha one of
3060-544: The state. During the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970), Anambra State was part of the secessionist Republic of Biafra formed by Igbo nationalists. Anambra was severely affected by the war. Today, Anambra State is one of the most urbanized states in Nigeria. The name Anambra is the merging of Anam and the English word 'branch'. Anam is a clan in the Omambala region and the last Igbo speaking community
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#17327730805113120-491: The surface. Though these appear to have been riveted or soldered on to the artifacts, they were actually cast in one piece. The Grove Encyclopedia of Materials and Techniques in Art describes them as being "among the most inventive and technically accomplished bronzes ever made". Although the lost wax casting process was used to produce the bronzes, latex was probably used in Igbo-Ukwu instead of beeswax which would explain how
3180-464: The top commercial cities in Africa. Agriculture is an important economic sector in Anambra. Oil palms , maize , rice , yams and cassava are among the crops grown. Fishing is also part of the economic mainstay of Anambra State more especially for communities along the riverine areas. Anambra is a home of innovation, inventions and creativity. There have been several innovations in Anambra, due to its appreciation of education, which has added to
3240-427: The way. Anambra is rich in natural gas , crude oil , bauxite , and ceramic . It has an almost 100 percent arable soil . Anambra state has many other resources in terms of agro-based activities such as fisheries and farming, as well as land cultivated for pasturing and animal husbandry . In the year 2006, a foundation-laying ceremony for the first Nigerian private refinery, Orient Petroleum Refinery (OPR),
3300-547: The west for about 97 km across the River Niger , Imo State and Rivers State (for four km) to the south, Enugu State to the east for 139 km, and Kogi State to the north for about 40 km. The name was derived from the Anambra River (Omambala) which flows through the area and is a tributary of the River Niger . Anambra is the eighth-most populated state in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and
3360-534: Was made at Aguleri area. The Orient Petroleum Resource Ltd (OPRL), owner of OPR, was licensed in June 2002, by the Federal Government to construct a private refinery with a capacity of 55,000 barrels per day (~7,500 t/d). In 2012, following the efforts of Governor Peter Obi and other stakeholders of Orient Petroleum, Anambra State became an oil-producing state. The indigenous company struck oil in
3420-399: Was not aware of the significance of the objects he had found and gave away some of them to friends and neighbors, as well as using some of the vessels to water his goats. Several months later, J.O. Field, the British colonial district officer of the area, learned of the finds and purchased many of them, publishing the finds in an anthropological journal. In 1946, he handed over the artifacts to
3480-455: Was performed on one textile sample from Igbo Isaiah, placing the date of textile creation in the 1200-1300s CE. This is the first direct date obtained for an artifact from Igbo Isaiah, and it contrasts with the ninth-century CE date previously offered by Shaw on the basis of less precise radiocarbon results and stylistic seriation performed on pottery and bronzes from Igbo-Ukwu. Over 165,000 glass and carnelian beads were found at Igbo-Ukwu;
3540-505: Was the soda-lime glass bead produced using plant ash. These were likely made from glass produced in Mesopotamia and eastern regions of Iran, and likely moved along the eastern Niger corridor route by the ninth or tenth centuries. However, several other glass bead chemical compositions have not been traced to a source, such as glass composed of soda-aluminum and soda-lime fluxed with a mineral alkali. Less analysis has been performed for
3600-423: Was the largest (19 x 11m), yet it produced the smallest amount of artifact material. The depth of the artifacts at Igbo Jonah is varied; the pits were filled in antiquity, resulting in a complex depositional history. The depth of the artifacts at Igbo Jonah is varied; the pits were deliberately backfilled resulting in different degrees of orderly deposition. Bronze, copper and glass artifacts at Igbo Isaiah lay below
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