Helmet Altarpiece Surmounted by Figure

Origin: Koma-Builsa Peoples, Ghana
Composition: lost wax caste bronze

Artifacts of this type originate from Iron Age burial sites attributed to ancestors of the modern Koma-Builsa people. Artifacts from the ancient Komaland civiliazation date from the 10th to the 19th centuries, but otherwise, not much is known about the civilization. Pieces such as this seem to have been placed atop earthen or stone altars, created for the ancestors, and given offerings, and sometimes burned. Thermoluminescence indicates that the Iron Age Koma-Builsa culture flourished between the 13th and 19th centuries (Ref: Africa: The Art of a Continent).