This Ancient Djenne brick red clay terracotta earthen vessel container was excavated near Djenne-Djenno also known as Jenne-Jeno or Djenne. Djenne once was a prospering city which was also once the trade center of this region and it was located at the the Inland Delta of the Niger River which was the heart of the Mali Empire between the 12th and 16th centuries. Djenné is the oldest known city and considered to be among the oldest urbanized centers in sub-Saharan Africa and was founded between 850 and 1200 A.D. and served as a trading post between the traders from the western and central Sudan and Guinea and was directly linked to the important trading city of Timbuktu. With the help of archaeological excavations, radiocarbon dates have been collected showing that people first settled in this area permanently around 250 B.C. and here was found some of the earliest evidence for iron production and the domestication of rice in sub-Saharan Africa. The Djenne civilization are precursors to the Dogon of Mali.

This Djenne terracotta vessel measures 11.50 inches tall by 6.90 inches wide and does not stand on it's own on a flat surface having been made to sit on the earth. This Djenne People's terracotta specimen is in great condition for it's age with some assorted wear, two chips to the decorative flare around the neck of the bottle and a small hole drilled into the body of the vessel.

This ancient piece of sub-Saharan African history would be a perfect addition to any African Art collection or a great piece of home decor. I personally have had this piece in  my own collection for 14 years. I combine shipping on multiple buys so check out my ebay store where I have thousands of items. For buyers of multiple items please email me when you are done shopping for your custom made invoice with combined shipping & insurance fees.