Sacred Fruit

Origin: Nok Culture, Nigeria
Composition: terracotta

The Nok civilization of Nigeria, an agricultural and iron-smelting culture, flourished from 1000 B.C. – 1000 A.D. This piece is somewhat of a curiosity - a piece of fruit adorned with a face - as similar pieces are scarce. Buried in the Jos Plateau over 2000 years ago, its exact meaning is unclear.

In published materials, there is only one piece that bears any similarity to this one. Published in Chesi/Merzeder, "The Nok Culture," it is a seated male figure, who holds something like this sacred fruit in his hand (click here to view). Despite this similarity, the meaning of this piece remains a mystery (Prestel, 2006).

This authentic piece is in line to be thermoluminescence tested, to more accurately determine its age. Please contact us to inquire about this piece at (415) 362-6601 or info@sujaro.com.