Dutsen Kongba (Jos Plateau)
Kongba Hill Rock Art · Jos Plateau Gongs
Nok to Berom (1500 BCE–present)·Nok / Proto-Berom·🇳🇬 Plateau State, Jos Plateau, Riyom, Nigeria
About
About Dutsen Kongba (Jos Plateau)
Jos Plateau rock-gong complex Dutsen Kongba — 8 granite cupola slabs with pitted gongs played by striking, adjacent to 1500 BCE Nok terracotta scatter and 200 m shelter with white paintings.
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Why it mattersLargest rock-gong cluster on Jos Plateau linking Nok to living Berom ritual.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Acoustic symbolism
- 02Nok continuity to Berom
Theories
- 01Gongs as early music instruments (Fagg)
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Granite exfoliation domes Neolithic; gong use from 1500 BCE
- Period
- Nok to Berom (1500 BCE–present)
- Culture
- Nok / Proto-Berom
- Purpose
- Musical-ritual rock gongs and later terracotta shrine
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
1500 BCE
Nok terracotta deposition
500 BCE
Rock gong tradition peak
10th c. CE
Berom shrine
present
Living tradition struck at festivals
On the ground
Structures & features
9.6300° N · 8.7900° E · 1350 m · 2 mapped features
Kongba Rock Gongs
rock gong8 granite gong slabs 5 m diam with 30 pits each
9.6310° N · 8.7910° EKongba Shelter Painting
rock artWhite frieze 10 m with cattle and gong players
9.6290° N · 8.7890° E