Prehistoric Nigeria: The Nok

The Ancients

History Hit

History

4.7 • 3.5K Ratings

🗓️ 30 March 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the heart of ancient Nigeria, a mysterious civilisation flourished - known today only through archaeology. The Nok Culture, symbolised by its striking terracotta figurines, remains one of Africa’s most fascinating yet overlooked ancient societies.

In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Kevin MacDonald to uncover the secrets of the Nok. Who were they? Where did they live? And what can their incredible artistry tell us about Iron Age West Africa? From groundbreaking archaeological discoveries to the enduring mystery of their decline, this is the story of one of Africa’s earliest known civilisations.

For more on the ancient Iron Age world, our episode on the Birth of the Iron Age with Eric Cline can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6emHXY7Cv8xImTcVAi4mrf

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music from Epidemic Sounds

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Tristan Hughes, and if you would like the ancient ad-free, get early access and bonus episodes, sign up to History Hit.
0:08.1	With a History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of hours of original documentaries, including my recent documentary all about Petra and the Nabatans, and enjoy a new release every week.
0:19.3	Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com slash subscribe.
0:22.6	It's The Ancents on History Hit.
0:38.3	I'm Tristan Hughes, your host.
0:41.5	Today we're covering another of those mysterious, too often overlooked ancient civilizations,
0:47.5	a people who lived in ancient Nigeria, known today solely through archaeology, symbolized
0:53.6	by extraordinary terracotta figurines.
0:57.0	The knock culture.
0:59.2	Search knock culture in your browser today, and straightaway images of these striking statuettes appear.
1:06.7	They are some of the most eye-catching examples of ancient art so far found anywhere in Africa,
1:13.1	depicting all sorts of subjects.
1:15.8	And unsurprisingly, they will feature heavily in today's conversation.
1:20.6	So who were the knock?
1:22.4	Whereabouts in Africa did they live?
1:24.6	And what has archaeology so far revealed about this mysterious Iron Age culture?
1:29.3	Well, joining me to explain all is Dr. Kevin MacDonald, a professor of African archaeology at University College London.
1:37.3	Kevin dialed in to join us for this chat, and I'm really grateful for Kevin's time to talk all the things, the knock culture.
1:45.5	Rarely does the knock get the attention it deserves, so enjoy as we delve into its mysterious story.
1:56.5	Kevin, it is a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.
1:59.8	Thank you. Glad to be here.
2:01.5	To talk about the knock culture, and it's about time we explored more of these extraordinary
	...

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