Nineteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

The archaeology of the Ijebu Kingdom, southwestern Nigeria, is just beginning to take shape within the last five years. My research entails the archaeological investigation of the first palace of this kingdom mentioned in travel accounts as early as the late 15th century. In this paper, I report the latest finds recovered from the palace courtyard and quarters. I also report the first evidence of potsherd pavements in the Ijebu kingdom, an artistic expression that was never thought to exists in this part of West Africa. Many of the artifacts discovered are novel and speak directly to the upper-class occupation of the space and places the Ijebu Kingdom within a global cultural and landscape history.