Sokoto Ceramic Head of a Male, Based

Two thousand years, give or take. The expression has held.

This head of a male is Sokoto, from Northern Nigeria in West Africa, made of terra cotta and dated to the early 1st century, about two thousand years ago. Why Sokoto sculptors made such heads is not certain; many scholars suspect a link to burial or ancestors, and they still debate the relation to the neighboring Nok. The eyes are pierced under heavy lids, the lips part over a row of small teeth, and fine lines band the crown. The surface is rough and crusted, with a green patch on the brow. Just over eleven inches high on its base.

He looks tired. He has a case.