Famous findAbout 9th to 12th century AD (date debated) · found 1938
The Igbo-Ukwu Bronzes: masterpieces of African metalwork found while digging a water tank
In 1938 Isaiah Anozie was digging a cistern in his compound at Igbo-Ukwu in south-eastern Nigeria when he found bronze vessels and ornaments. Excavations later revealed a shrine and the burial of a man of high status, with some of the finest bronze castings ever made.