Three sites excavated by Thurstan Shaw (1959-1964) after a chance find in 1938: Igbo Isaiah, a shrine store of bronze regalia and vessels; Igbo Richard, the burial chamber of a man seated in state with a beaded crown, copper ornaments and tens of thousands of glass and stone beads; and Igbo Jonah, a cache.
Radiocarbon dates place them about the ninth and tenth centuries (850 is the date usually quoted; Shaw defended the early dates in 1975). The bronzes are cast by lost wax with astonishing detail, in a tradition distinct from Ife's and Benin's. The descendants of Eri connect them with the Eze Nri. By 1 January 1200 the site is three centuries old.
Who holds it
- Name
- Village elders of an Igbo town in Nri's world (not known by name)
- Title
- Not applicable
- Since
- not applicable
- Confidence
- low
Lord in 1200
Its own elders, in Nri's ritual sway.
How things stand that morning
An Igbo town in Nri's sway; the shrine and burial lie buried.
Council
Village elders.
Communities
Igbo.
Fairs and markets
Igbo four-day week markets.
Trade and crafts
Farming in 1200; the ninth- and tenth-century finds show bronze casting and imported beads.
Where the sources disagree
- Wikipedia calls Igbo-Ukwu 'the capital of the Kingdom of Nri beginning in the 8th or 9th century', which goes beyond the evidence.
Evidence: Excavated and radiocarbon-dated; the link to Nri is traditional.
On the map: Point.
Primary sources for Nri
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.