Igbo-Ukwu

Igbo-Ukwu is a town in Anambra State, Nigeria, where excavations by Thurstan Shaw in 1959–64 uncovered elaborate bronze castings, glass beads and a burial of a high-status figure. Dated to the 9th and 10th centuries, the lost-wax bronzes are among the oldest and most intricate in West Africa, and the beads point to long-distance trade. The finds are often linked to the ritual culture of Nri.