The Owo kingdom ruled in Yoruba, in what is now Nigeria, between the years 1400 and 1600. The Yorùbá are the largest ethnic group in Nigeria, comprising approximately 26 percent of that countrys total population, and numbering about close to 100 million individuals throughout the region of West Africa. ...

The Owo site was first excavated in 1969 by Ekpo Eyo in the contemporary Yoruba town of Owo. Archaeologists have found terracotta sculptures dating to the 15th century. Owo is situated halfway between the Nigerian towns of Ife and Benin in southern Nigeria, and so it is not surprising that Owo art displays characteristics of both traditions. Some of the Owo objects show similarities to the art of Benin, while others display characteristics that are unique to Owo. Ife was then declining in power as Oyo, another Yoruba city situated in the north, was ascending. Benin in the 15th century was expanding its influence to both the east and west and must have affected Owo. Owo claims that it was never conquered by Benin, but there are many elements of Owo culture clearly borrowed from Benin, such as chieftaincy titles and the royal regalia and crowns.