Sao civilisation

[12] Findings include bronze sculptures and terra cotta statues of human and animal figures, coins, funerary urns, household utensils, jewelry, highly decorated pottery, and spears.

Women occupied a respected position in society and the Queen Mother and senior sister of the ruler exercised considerable political influence on the government of the states.

Impressive objects found by archaeologists include burial urns and ... figures of animals and human beings both in clay and bronze.

The vigour of the government and civilization is best demonstrated by their long resistance to the empires of Kanem and Bornu [sic] and the fact that many cultural characteristics of the Kanuri [were later] adopted from the So.Ethnic groups in the Lake Chad basin, such as the Buduma, Gamergu, Kanembu, Kotoko, and Musgum claim descent from the Sao.

Lebeuf supports this connection and has traced symbolism from Sao art in works by the Guti and Tukuri subgroups of the Logone-Birni people.

[15] Oral histories add further details about the people: the Sao were made up of several patrilineal clans who were united into a single polity with one language, race, and religion.