Ife Effigy Head of a Horse
Ife Effigy Head of a Horse Cirça 600 to 800 years old Terracotta 4 x 4 x 8 in 10 x 10 x 20 cm Yoruba people; Southwestern Nigeria, West Africa This is probably a head from a larger figure of a horse. The head is depicted with royal regalia, which indicates that it once represented a horse of a chief or warrior.This artifact is a very rare and important archeological find from the Ife civilization. The époque of the Ife civilization is presumed to be from the period between the 12th and 15th centuries. The results of thermoluminescence testing conducted by Oxford research laboratory in England, show that this artifact was last fired into its present construction approximately 600-800 years ago, which is consistent with the suggested period of the Ife civilization.