Owo lies about halfway between Ife and Benin City, on the eastern edge of the Yoruba country.
Its traditions claim Ife origin; its excavated shrine site (Ekpo Eyo, 1969-1971) produced terracottas of the fifteenth century in a style between Ife's and Benin's, and its palace is said to have been built in the fourteenth century. For 1 January 1200 there is no direct evidence: Owo may already be a small kingdom, but this cannot be shown.
Who he is
- Name
- Not known. The Owo tradition makes its founder (Ojugbelu in the Owo histories) a son of Oduduwa from Ife; the palace is credited to Olowo Rerengejen in the fourteenth century.
- Title
- Olowo of Owo
- Since
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
What it holds
- Owo and its farm villages
Allies and rivals
Later a sometimes-tributary neighbour of Benin and a source of ivory carvers for its court (fifteenth century onward); nothing attested for 1200.
Wealth
Farming, forest products, later famous ivory carving.
Military
Not attested.
Threats
- Not attested
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1200No dated event.Depends on: Not applicable Stopped by: Not applicable
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Tradition and fifteenth-century archaeology; nothing for 1200.
On the map: Estimated extent; the kingdom's existence in 1200 is not proven.
Primary sources for Yoruba towns
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Ife, Benin, Nri, the Yoruba towns and the Akan: archaeology and recorded tradition (no contemporary text; traditions written down from the 1890s). No text of any kind exists for the forest belt in 1200.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.