Dr. Kevin MacDonald

Yes. Again, thanks to this cooperative German-Nigerian program, which has been going on since I think around 2006 and then went on up until 2017, there was a great number of settlement sites found, so well over 100 sites now. But in the beginning, these were sort of isolated find spots.

And I should rush to outline, if anybody looks online and sees some of the pictures of these opencast tin mining sites on the Joss Plateau, they'll think, how is this possible? You're finding these statuettes tens of meters deep. What sort of timescale are we working at here? A lot of this is, these finds are not being found in context. These aren't village remains of these initial finds.

And I should rush to outline, if anybody looks online and sees some of the pictures of these opencast tin mining sites on the Joss Plateau, they'll think, how is this possible? You're finding these statuettes tens of meters deep. What sort of timescale are we working at here? A lot of this is, these finds are not being found in context. These aren't village remains of these initial finds.

And I should rush to outline, if anybody looks online and sees some of the pictures of these opencast tin mining sites on the Joss Plateau, they'll think, how is this possible? You're finding these statuettes tens of meters deep. What sort of timescale are we working at here? A lot of this is, these finds are not being found in context. These aren't village remains of these initial finds.

These are finds that have been part of slope erosion in these areas and carried down due to rains into valley areas and therefore are being found for that reason. So they're not really, in an archaeological sense, tens of meters beneath the surface.

These are finds that have been part of slope erosion in these areas and carried down due to rains into valley areas and therefore are being found for that reason. So they're not really, in an archaeological sense, tens of meters beneath the surface.

These are finds that have been part of slope erosion in these areas and carried down due to rains into valley areas and therefore are being found for that reason. So they're not really, in an archaeological sense, tens of meters beneath the surface.

Most of the sites where these are found in better context are just, you're probably finding things a meter below the surface or not too much more than that. if they're in pits, maybe a couple of meters beneath the surface. So you have these fine spots where what had been settlement landscapes are just being eroded down a slope.

Most of the sites where these are found in better context are just, you're probably finding things a meter below the surface or not too much more than that. if they're in pits, maybe a couple of meters beneath the surface. So you have these fine spots where what had been settlement landscapes are just being eroded down a slope.

Most of the sites where these are found in better context are just, you're probably finding things a meter below the surface or not too much more than that. if they're in pits, maybe a couple of meters beneath the surface. So you have these fine spots where what had been settlement landscapes are just being eroded down a slope.

I mean, imagine the various cliff shears we have in Norfolk or Suffolk or elsewhere, and things being carried down. That's the sort of thing we're talking about. So sort of erosion, large-scale erosion of soil and things being tumbled down much lower. That's where these come from. These are from essentially disintegrated villages that have been lost off the edges of cliff erosion.

I mean, imagine the various cliff shears we have in Norfolk or Suffolk or elsewhere, and things being carried down. That's the sort of thing we're talking about. So sort of erosion, large-scale erosion of soil and things being tumbled down much lower. That's where these come from. These are from essentially disintegrated villages that have been lost off the edges of cliff erosion.

I mean, imagine the various cliff shears we have in Norfolk or Suffolk or elsewhere, and things being carried down. That's the sort of thing we're talking about. So sort of erosion, large-scale erosion of soil and things being tumbled down much lower. That's where these come from. These are from essentially disintegrated villages that have been lost off the edges of cliff erosion.

So in context, they're in village sites or cemetery sites, which are not really very far beneath the surface at all.

So in context, they're in village sites or cemetery sites, which are not really very far beneath the surface at all.

So in context, they're in village sites or cemetery sites, which are not really very far beneath the surface at all.

It would have been greener than today, no doubt. But even today, even though this is sort of a semi-desertic area in parts, The desertic is too strong. Let's say arid area today. You have scattered trees and grasslands today. I expect the patches of forested areas would have been higher, but this would not by any means have been a forested zone at that time.

It would have been greener than today, no doubt. But even today, even though this is sort of a semi-desertic area in parts, The desertic is too strong. Let's say arid area today. You have scattered trees and grasslands today. I expect the patches of forested areas would have been higher, but this would not by any means have been a forested zone at that time.

It would have been greener than today, no doubt. But even today, even though this is sort of a semi-desertic area in parts, The desertic is too strong. Let's say arid area today. You have scattered trees and grasslands today. I expect the patches of forested areas would have been higher, but this would not by any means have been a forested zone at that time.

What's interesting, of course, environmentally, and this might be getting a little bit ahead of things, but the primary crop associated with NOC is millet. And this was a surprise because people were thinking this is too far south for millet. So what it is showing is that this is an area which didn't have too much rainfall. Too much rain doesn't work for millet.