-
200
Metal Age
Around 200, people in Nigeria discovered that the land was lavished with metals. This "Metal Age" allowed cities and villages to expand and grow to become more powerful. The iron found at this time not only allowed weapons to be made but aslo agricultural tools and they traded iron with Europeans. This "Metal Age" allowed the Nigerians that found the metal and put it to good use, to take control, conquer and overall become a stronger nation. -
222
Ancient Empire
Nok was the main, extremely powerful empire at this time. The Nok people were known for making terracotta sculptures, while they ruled over the land for about 700 years. The beggining of iron smelting was found during the time of the Nok people as they made weapons and tools to make the fantastic terrecota sculptures. -
Jan 1, 1000
Change In Civilization
As far as civilizatons go there were a few, the most dominant at this time was the Benin. The Benin city was rich with metals as they discovered between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. They produced tools to impove agriculture. The Benin people where also under a dynasty called Oba, than a monarchy which unified the rival groups. They reached the peak of their power during the fifteenth and sixteenth century under the rule of Oba Ewuare. -
Jan 1, 1000
Conversion to Islam
Conversion to Islam began in the eleventh century, in the kingdom of Kanem-Borno. The Kanem-Borno kings converted to Islam, encouraging their people to convert as well. The religion began to spread in the fourteenth century because of impacts in neighboring countries in North Africa. Over time Islam spread to the north and west of Nigeria, then it began to spread even more again and did not become a large-scale religion until the nineteenth century. -
Spread of Christianity
Christianity began its spread in the middle of the nineteenth century. After the slave trade was abolished the Brtitsh came to keep order in Nigeria. The bad slaves were sent to nearby countries for example Liberia and Sierra Leone and then they later went back to their homes in Nigeria and brought back some of pieces of the culture from the other countries and one of them was the religion, Christianity. -
British Rule
When the British came to Nigeria, they settled in Lagos, and the settlement later lead to the British taking over Nigeria for a long period of time. The British first took over the south, and as they were successful they moved on to conquer the north. Britain had many advantages to this conquest. First they had better profits that went to their country, they also had learned and practiced preventing fights and wars. Britian ruled over Nigeria for sixty years. -
Independence
October 1, 1960 was the day that Nigeria finally gained independence from Britain. After being under British authority for sixty years, Nigeria gained independence and divided into three big areas. The North, West, and East that ruled over their seperate land, and each had their own culture, and they did compete as rivals. The strain between the groups did cause many problems for Nigeria, leading them to be politically and economically unstable, depending on oil as a way to keep them going. -
War
The commencement of the Nigerian civil war started the at the beginning of their seventh year of independence. The war was started because the Igbo tribe did not want Gowon to take power of the country. The Igbo started out in the north then they joined with Igbo people in the east and they joned as well with Igbo tribes in the west. The government talked and then decided that the only way to stop them was to use force. The war lasted about three years when it finally broke off.
