Ife, a Yoruba city in southwestern Nigeria,…

Ife, a Yoruba city in southwestern Nigeria, had begun to develop as a major artistic center between 700 and 900, and the city had been a settlement of substantial size between the ninth and twelfth centuries, with houses featuring potsherd pavement.

Ife’s naturalistic bronze, stone, and terra-cotta sculptures will reach their peak of artistic expression between 1200 and 1400.