Full Figure with Necklace
Sao, Chad
Terracotta
11th - 15th century CE

The culture of the Sao on Lake Chad is regarded as one of the oldest in West Africa, and although extensive archaeological and ethnohistorical material is available that goes back to the early Arabic writers, it is still not possible to form a precise picture of this culture so significant for its art and towns. If we consider recent radiocarbon data, the Sao culture can be referred to as one of the oldest in West Africa after Nok (Schaedler, Earth and Ore, 1997). 

Thermoluminesciece tested by Ciram in 2008; 880 +/- 100 years old. 

11 in :: 28 cm

InventoryID #13-620