Nok terracotta chronology and rescue archaeology

Record summary

Research and collecting histories surrounding Nok terracotta figures were reassessed during the 1970s and 1980s through excavation, scientific dating, and discussion of looting. The material is important for comparing figurative art, early ironworking, settlement organization, and the effects of undocumented collecting on archaeological knowledge. Many famous sculptures entered collections without secure contexts, while excavated examples provide a smaller but more reliable evidentiary base. Researchers should distinguish authenticated excavation assemblages from unprovenanced market objects and stylistic attributions.