Inland Niger River Delta D'jenne culture

The D'jenne (jen-ay) culture flourished as part of the famous salt/slave trade between the northern Mediterranean and Middle East cities and sub-Saharan West Africa in the 10th - 14th centuries. (Famous Timbouctou was part of this system) D'jenne sculpture and vessels are refined, expressive and functioned as one of the highest art forms in the culture. These fine potted vessels were placed in tombs as tribute or containers for the afterlife. Interestingly the bottle form, so developed in D'jenne at, is not a dominant form in historic African ceramics. These are burnished, slip decorated earthenware vessels not made on the potter's wheel. Rather they are hand-built and pit fired. The archaeological site of the D'jenne is on several islands in the Niger River. These vessels first came to sight as the riverbanks eroded revealing ancient burials.