Abstract:
The culture area associated with the Idemili North in the present Anambra State lies in the same cultural horizon with important cultural centres such as those of Igbo-Ukwu, Agukwu, Awka etc. These areas, according to Morgan (1957), have high population density and ancient settlements. Because of this, this author describes them as grassland towns or rainforest environment. Ancient settlements are acknowledged given the dense population of about 400 persons per square kilometer. Excavations by Shaw (1970, 1977) indicate the antiquity of material culture and social institutions dating back to at least 9th century A.D. Studies by Shaw (1977), Neaher (1976, 1979), (1961), Jeffreys (1935), Onwuejogwu (1970, 1981), reveal a lot bronzes, pottery, door carvings, human settlements, other material deposits, and natural resources, such as virgin forests, stream, flora and fauna. They also indicate something of ancient social institutions such as those of Nri, Igbo leadership, and political system, etc. The present reconnaissance survey is an attempt to map out the archaeological potentials of material and non material culture of Abatete such as dumping sites, sacred grooves, abandoned sites, pottery, fortifications, traditional architecture and settlements, effects of modernization and innovation; including social institutions, in order to understand and map out, and identify these various aspects of material and non material cultural resources of a living community, and possibly their potentials for archaeological investigation and interpretation in the future. This work is divided into five chapters. Chapter one introduces the topic while chapter two discusses the theories, theoretical and empirical, relevant to the study. Chapter three discusses the study background. Chapter four presents and discusses data resources on both material and non material culture, while chapter five deals with data interpretation, summary, and conclusion, and recommendations.
