Survey and excavations in Ilorin, Nigeria: A first archaeological insight

Ilorin, in the northern part of the Yoruba-speaking area of Nigeria today, remains one of the historically best-documented towns in the recent history of West Africa, long reported as a significant frontier city of the Oyo empire. Situated at the transition of forest and savanna regions, Ilorin was known for its craft industries, especially stone bead making and pottery, and a place of convergence of various peoples, traditions, and knowledge systems after the Oyo empire collapsed in the first half of the nineteenth century. However, since no archaeological work had been undertaken in the city, little could be said of events prior to the past three centuries. This article presents the first archaeological contribution to the question.