Nok Village Taruga Terrace Furnace 5
Nok Village Taruga Terrace Furnace 5 North Annex · Nok Site
Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE)·Bronze Age·🇳🇬 Kaduna, Nok, Nigeria
About
About Nok Village Taruga Terrace Furnace 5
Nok Village Taruga Terrace Furnace 5 in Kaduna, Nok, Nigeria is a Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) ancient city attributed to Bronze Age. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal walled area 12 ha and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 9.8910N 7.8320E controls access to Kaduna resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey ancient city for Kaduna, Nok, illustrating Bronze Age construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology and phasing of construction episodes
- 02Function in regional settlement hierarchy
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 2800 BCE
- Period
- Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE)
- Culture
- Bronze Age
- Purpose
- Regional urban centre controlling trade and administration
- Rediscovered
- 1960 survey
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 2800 BCE
Initial construction of Nok Village Taruga Terrace Furnace 5 main structure
c. 1940
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
2000–2015
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Nok Village Taruga Terrace Furnace 5) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
9.8910° N · 7.8320° E · 360 m · 4 mapped features
Nok Village Taruga Terrace Furnace 5 — Main Structure
structurePrincipal ancient city — Walled area 12 ha with diagnostic masonry/panel
9.8918° N · 7.8329° ENok Village Taruga Terrace Furnace 5 — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
9.8900° N · 7.8313° ENok Village Taruga Terrace Furnace 5 — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with outlier deposit and burial
9.8925° N · 7.8332° ENok Village Taruga Terrace Furnace 5 — Hydraulic/Cistern
hydraulicHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir or rock-cut channel associated with site
9.8894° N · 7.8309° E