OWO DATING AND IMPLICATION

The radiocarbon date for the concentration which produced almost all the sculptures is early fifteenth century, while the radiocarbon date for the pit in that concentration is about the mid-eighteenth century. There are several implications of these dates. Firstly, although it is unknown when the tradition of terracotta making started, by the fifteenth century it had already been established. Secondly, by this time also, the Benin influence had become so strong in Owo as to enable the two art styles to coexist. The fifteenth century was the greatest period of expansion of the Benin Empire under Oba Ewuare and there is historical evidence to indicate that Owo carne under the suzerainty of the Obas of Benin. However, as at Ife, this tradition of terracotta sculptures carne to an end at some time, with the result that by the middle of the eighteenth century old sculptures were being re-used for purposes which might have been different from the original ones.
Finally, as a mid-way point between Ife and Benin, the coexistence of the two art styles is not surprising. What it means in terms of the much discussed Ife-Benin relationship remains unclear. However, if, as seems likely, there were cultural exchanges between the two art centers, then Owo could possibly have been one channel through which such exchanges took place. As only one excavation has as yet been carried out in Owo, there is need for more work to be done there in view of its strategic position between the two great art centers.

OWO Culture