Expanding the history of past settlements of north-eastern Nigeria: A report of preliminary survey of Zigam settlement in Bauchi State

Zigam is a hilltop settlement with a long history in the record of the central Bauchi region and was occupied by the group of people known with Zigamachi language in the past. The settlement was said to have a lineage with the Zigau and Birni Gazargamu people from the historical narration. Until now, there was no record of archaeological investigation bearing in mind the documentation and reconstruction of the past history of Zigam settlement within Kasar Bauchi. This is a preliminary report of the archaeological investigation carried out at Zigam settlement and the report presents an account of material remains spatially distributed on the surface of the settlement such as defensive walls, circular stone arrangement of different sizes (house and granary foundations), rock hollows, lower grinding stones, possible places of burial, stone anvil, dyeing complex, ruined building, and scattered potsherds on the surface of the settlement. The method adopted in the course of this investigation was an archaeological survey and is beginning to assist in understanding the cultural landscape of the settlement. The report recommends further investigations to reveal more about the past-history of Zigam settlement archaeologically.