MEET THE GREAT AFRICAN PRIEST-KING… HIS GRAVE SHOCKED THE BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGIST IN 1959.

MEET THE GREAT AFRICAN PRIEST-KING… HIS GRAVE SHOCKED THE BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGIST IN 1959.

Eze Nri Ifikuanim ; Was a man whose wisdom, scholarship and spiritual depth defined an era. A king who ruled not by sword, but by knowledge, justice and divine authority.

He was the Priest-King of the ancient Nri Kingdom of Igboland, one of the oldest and most organized civilizations in Africa.

Eze Nri Ifikuanim was a highly intelligent and scholarly king. Oral tradition tells us he traded with other great kingdoms of the world, including Egypt, Ethiopia, India and as far as Babylon, now known as Iraq, in the Middle East.

According to Igbo oral tradition, his reign started in 1043 and ended in 1089 when he joined his ancestors. That is over 900 years of documented history before colonial invasion.

In 1959, his burial site linked to Igbo-Ukwu was excavated by British Archaeologist, Charles Thurstan Shaw (1914–2013). He discovered a burial chamber with remains adorned in royal robes, a bronze crown, sceptre, staff and breast-plates adorned with precious stones and over 100,000 glass beads.

This discovery was undeniable evidence of a sophisticated Igbo civilization dating back to 948 A.D. Carbon dating confirmed 9th Century. It proved we had advanced bronze technology, royalty, and governance long before the white man set foot on our soil.

This is the type of history you need to teach your children. We were civilized before the white men came. We were great. We are still great.

SOURCE OF RESEARCH:
According to Thurstan Shaw’s excavation at Igbo-Ukwu (1959-1964), linked by oral tradition to Eze Nri Ifikuanim.
Books: Igbo-Ukwu (1970) & Unearthing Igbo-Ukwu (1977)
Artifacts are kept at: Nigerian National Museum Lagos, Igbo-Ukwu Museum Anambra, British Museum London.