Ongoing excavations at Old Oyo, a promiment powerful ancient settlement in present day Oyo state Southwestern Nigeria. The Old Oyo settlement being researched mirrors present day Oyo town in Oyo state, Nigeria. Oral history reveals that the ancient state possesed significant socio-economic and political influence spreading even beyond the Nigerian border. Archaeological investigations aim to contribute to and increase existing information thereby providing a holistic view on the ancient kingdom.

The Old Oyo Archaeological Project is directed by Professor Akin Ogundiran of the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. More information about Old Oyo can be found here.

The fieldwork which began with the first excavation season held in 2017 continues to yield a wealth of cultural material remains including ceramics vessels, pottery sherds, lithics, upper and lower grinding stones, beads and animal bomes which sheds light into the lifeways of people who had existed and inhabited the region in the past.

Embracing a multi-disciplinary approach, answers are being revealed and puzzles unravelled regarding the settlement types, spatial arrangement and material use of the past community. The material remains recovered from the sites and wall layout exposed further contributes to achieving archaeological goal, reconstruction of the past society!