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Primary sourceSculpture13th century

Seated Figure, Middle Niger Civilization

Middle Niger artist · 13th century

A 13th-century terracotta seated figure from the Middle Niger region, created before Mansa Musa's reign, showing the artistic traditions of the area.

This sculpture from the region before Musa's reign shows the artistic traditions of the peoples his empire later encompassed.

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Photograph of a reddish-brown terracotta sculpture of a seated figure on a plain gray background. The figure is hunched forward with its head bowed and resting on one raised arm, with the knees drawn up and the body compact, and the surface shows fine texture and tool marks.
Seated figure, Middle Niger civilization, 13th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this source

What it is

This terracotta sculpture of a seated, hunched figure was made in the 13th century by an artist of the Middle Niger civilization. It is held today at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Why it matters

Though made before Mansa Musa's reign, this figure comes from the broader Niger region and culture that later produced the Mali Empire's wealth and artistic traditions. It offers a glimpse into the artistic and spiritual life of the peoples among whom Musa's empire later rose.

Look closer

  • What mood or feeling does the figure's pose convey?
  • Why might ancient artists have made figures like this, and for what purposes?
  • How can an object made before Musa's time still help us understand the world he ruled?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Mansa Musa on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Detail of a medieval painted map showing a crowned figure seated on a throne, holding a gold coin in one hand and a scepter in the other, with towns, handwritten labels, and wavy sea nearby.Painting

Secondary source

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Open manuscript on a display, pages covered in brown-ink Arabic script on aged, yellowed paper. The left page is written in handwriting across most of its lines, and the right page has a decorated heading at the top followed by dense Arabic text. The leather-bound spine is visible at the left edge.Book

Secondary source

Tarikh al-Sudan

Abderrahmane Es Saâdi · c. 1655

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Secondary source

Sankoré Madrasa

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Detail of a medieval painted map showing a seated crowned figure holding a gold coin and a scepter on a throne, a camel rider in green robes and turban on the left, walled cities drawn in red and purple, red rhumb lines, and handwritten Catalan-style text in brown ink.Painting

Primary source

Catalan Atlas, Sheet 6: Western Sahara

Abraham Cresques · 1375

Front facade of a stone madrassa with a tall, ornately carved minaret rising above a pointed-arch wooden doorway. Visitors stand in the courtyard in front; a blue information sign stands at right.Artifact

Secondary source

Madrasa of Al-Nasir Muhammad

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