Kainji Rock Art and Mounds
Kainji Lake · Old Kainji · Kainji National Park
MSA to Iron Age (50,000 BCE–1800 CE; rock art 2000 BCE–500 CE)·MSA / Kintampo-related / Iron Age (Borgawa)·🇳🇬 Niger State / Kwara State, Nigeria
Nigeria_relief_location_map.jpg : Uwe Dedering derivative work: P. S. Burton ( talk ) · CC BY-SA 3.0
About
About Kainji Rock Art and Mounds
Kainji shoreline and islands host Middle Stone Age to Iron Age rock shelters with geometric rock art and 2,000-year mound settlements along Niger River, inundated partially 1968 by Kainji Dam. Rescue excavations (Shaw, Daniels) documented Kainji Neolithic 2nd millennium BCE Kintampo-related sherds and iron furnaces 500 BCE. Rock art finger dots and cruciforms. Islands preserve undisturbed Kainji fishing–herding sequence.
Why it mattersNiger River cultural sequence; dam rescue archaeology archive (Shaw).
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Kintampo connection east of Ghana
- 02Rock art chronology
Theories
- 01Niger River corridor diffusion (Daniels)
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- MSA shelters 50 ka; mounds 1000 BCE onward
- Period
- MSA to Iron Age (50,000 BCE–1800 CE; rock art 2000 BCE–500 CE)
- Culture
- MSA / Kintampo-related / Iron Age (Borgawa)
- Builders
- Niger River fishing–herding communities
- Purpose
- Riverside shelter and mound settlement on Niger bend
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
50,000 BCE
MSA rock shelter occupation
1500 BCE
Kintampo-related pottery mounds
500 BCE
Iron furnaces
1968
Dam inundation and rescue excavations
On the ground
Structures & features
10.1520° N · 4.5480° E · 340 m · 2 mapped features
Island Mound KRM-12
mound3-m high Iron Age mound on Foge Island
10.1530° N · 4.5490° ERock Shelter Panel KRS-3
rock artGeometric dot rock art panel
10.1510° N · 4.5470° E
Gallery