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The Eyes of a Rare Ancient African Sculpture
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tjadams View Drop Down
Chieftain
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Posts: 1188 		  Quote tjadams Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: The Eyes of a Rare Ancient African Sculpture
    Posted: 10-Jan-2012 at 17:12

Look into the eyes of a rare ancient African sculpture

Curtis Abraham, contributor-17:40 6 January 2012

If they exist at all, most unglazed clay objects from ancient times are now rubble, mere fragments of their former glory.

This terracotta head, at around 2000 years old, is a rare exception. Excavated from a village in Nigeria, this is one of the best-preserved examples of its kind ever discovered. It is a product of the Nok culture that flourished from about 1000 BC to AD 500, when it mysteriously died out, and provides examples of the earliest figurative art in sub-Saharan Africa.

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2012/01/look-into-the-eyes-of-a-rare-a.html
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Posts: 6084 		  Quote TheAlaniDragonRising Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10-Jan-2012 at 17:23
They are exquisite, and I gather we're extremely lucky they survived. Hopefully one day we'll get to find out exactly what they were for, and can be put in their right context with further knowledge of Nok society as a whole. 
What a handsome figure of a dragon. No wonder I fall madly in love with the Alani Dragon now, the avatar, it's a gorgeous dragon picture.
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Posts: 1188 		  Quote tjadams Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10-Jan-2012 at 17:40
I can always fully appreciate ancient craftsmanship, but those eyes! Confused
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Posts: 6084 		  Quote TheAlaniDragonRising Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10-Jan-2012 at 18:08
Originally posted by tjadams

I can always fully appreciate ancient craftsmanship, but those eyes! Confused
Yes I know, I thought the same seeing, I think, some Sumerian statues/busts, or something like that. But maybe they originally had something in the spaces. 
What a handsome figure of a dragon. No wonder I fall madly in love with the Alani Dragon now, the avatar, it's a gorgeous dragon picture.
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Posts: 170 		  Quote Fula Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11-Jan-2012 at 06:58

Great Find tjadams!
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Agreed. Thanks for sharingSmile
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