"Nok is the name of a town on the Jos Plateau in Central Nigeria where fragments of terracotta sculptures were found in 1928. Many more fragments and intact figures, both animal and human, as well as heads have come to light in subsequent years. While sharing the same style, called Nok after the site where the discovery was made, a number of the findings show a striking variety.

"Radiocarbon and thermoluminescence dating methods have revealed that the sculptures were made between 600 BC and AD 250.

"Because some terracottas were encountered in association with stone and iron objects, the Nok civilization is considered to be the oldest Iron Age culture of sub-Saharan Africa."

Constantine Petridis

Extract from: South of the Sahara

© 2003 The Cleveland Museum of Art

Nok Head #01 • Collection Samuel and Gabrielle Lurie, New York

Nok Head #02 • Private collection

Nok Head #03 • Private collection

Nok Head #04 • Private collection

Nok Head #05 • Private collection

Nok Head #06 • Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva • Accession #1015-103 • Reproduced in African Terra Cottas, A Millenary Heritage edited by Floriane Morin & Boris Wastiau (Musée Barbier-Mueller & Somogy Editions d’Art, 2008), p. 196

Nok Head #07 • Private collection

Nok Head #08 • Private collection

Nok Head #09 • Private collection

Nok Head #10 • Private collection

Nok Head #11 • The Minneapolis Institute of Arts • Gift of funds from Darwin and Geri Reedy • Accession #2002.27.16

Nok Head #12 • Private collection

Here is a 3D scan of one of those Nok heads: