Reviewing sustainability, preservation and semiotics of potsherd pavements in southwest Nigerian cultural spaces and built-forms

Abstract

Potsherds as used in southwest Nigeria Yoruba ancient civilization to pave walkways are continuously discovered along major migratory route from Ile-Ife to Notche in Togo. Its durability was compared to early terracotta pioneer road materials of the Roman and pre-modern Europe. Popularly called Potsherd pavement; the differently beautifully patterned ceramic materials were original to Queen Luuwo; a past and only female Ooni of, the Yoruba historical capital Ile-Ife. Despite not being preserved they remain sustainable indigenous material art and technology used around cultural spaces and built-forms since the 9th-12th century. Reviewed by visitations were some sites of the waste-to-wealth sustainable ceramic paving materials on which much work had not been done by built environment experts. Apart from its original denotative function as a walkway material, it also had ritual, storage, community and presently historic semiotic implications adducible to it. The research used the theories of pioneer semioticians; Saussure and Pierce’s as well as denotation and connotation by Eco. “Archaeological” method to compare the cultural material use of spaces, the general semiotic and Elleh’s African triple heritage concept. The study discovered that the cultural and tourism imperative of pavements are not appreciated and so they are not preserved. The use of physical observation, interview and systematic review of past low traffic-making and contemporary engineering applications for the qualitative research helped the discovery. The study concluded that proper preservation of potsherd pavements, drawing out their symbolic meanings and continued application would contribute to build environment sustainability in the study area.