Terracotta equestrian figure from Bura-Asinda-Sikka, in the modern-day Republic of Niger, c. 3rd – 10th century AD.

Terracotta equestrian figure from Bura-Asinda-Sikka, in the modern-day Republic of Niger, c. 3rd – 10th century AD. 

This relatively large terracotta sculpture (62 × 52 × 20 cm) of a horse and rider belongs to one of the more enigmatic archaeological cultures of West Africa, situated on the lower Niger River valley of Niger and Burkina Faso. The ancient necropolis of Bura-Asinda-Sikka was first discovered in the Tillabéry Region, about 120 km northwest of Niamey in 1975, and first excavated in 1983. Hundreds of anthropomorphic terracotta funerary urns containing human remains were found at the site. Some of these urns were surmounted by sculptures of standing figures, mounted horsemen, or human heads, all highly stylized. Very little is known about this iron working culture from a region that would eventually give rise to the powerful Songhai Empire.