Archaeology of Ethiopia

Ethiopia has several UNESCO World Heritage Sites related to archaeology which include Axum, one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Africa, the Awash Valley where Lucy, a hominin who lived around 3.2 million years ago was discovered, and Tiya, where Middle Stone Age tools and megaliths have been found.

The obelisk which the ruler of Italy, Benito Mussolini, gave order should be moved from Axum in Ethiopia to Rome, where it stood in front of the FAO headquarters until 2005. Picture taken in the 1960s.

Notable sites and finds

Ethiopia is well known for its significant fossil-bearing beds which have borne some of the oldest and most complete fossil hominids. One well-known example is Lucy. Her hominid species Australopithecus afarensis is named after the Afar Ethiopian region where it was discovered. Other discoveries are still being made.[1]

In 2019, archaeologists discovered a 30,000-year-old Middle-Stone Age rock shelter at the Fincha Habera site in Bale Mountains of Ethiopia at over 11,000 feet above sea level. This dwelling was the earliest proof of the highest-altitude of human occupation. Thousands of animal bones, hundreds of stone tools, and ancient fireplaces were revealed.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Excavations at Mochena Borago Rockshelter in the Southwest Ethiopian Highlands have been taking place since 1998. The site is important for testing the "refugium theory" which suggests that during cold, arid periods in the past, humans took refuge in this region as it would have been more habitable than the surrounding region.[9]

Around 2000, archaeologists uncovered the ruins of the legendary ancient Islamic kingdom of Shoa, that included evidence of a large urban settlement as well as a large mosque.[10]

Cultural heritage

In April 2005, the Obelisk of Axum, one of Ethiopia's religious and historical treasures, was returned to Ethiopia by Italy.[11]

See also

References
  1. Discovery Fossil Sheds Light on Ape-Man Species 21 September 2006
  2. Zimmer, Carl (2019-08-08). "In the Ethiopian Mountains, Ancient Humans Were Living the High Life". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  3. Katz, Brigit. "Archaeologists Uncover Evidence of an Ancient High-Altitude Human Dwelling". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  4. Smith, Kiona N. (2019-08-09). "The first people to live at high elevations snacked on giant mole rats". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  5. History, Charles Q. Choi 2019-08-09T12:59:10Z. "Earliest Evidence of Human Mountaineers Found in Ethiopia". livescience.com. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  6. Dvorsky, George. "This Rock Shelter in Ethiopia May Be the Earliest Evidence of Humans Living in the Mountains". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  7. "Earliest evidence of high-altitude living found in Ethiopia". UPI. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  8. Miehe, Georg; Opgenoorth, Lars; Zech, Wolfgang; Woldu, Zerihun; Vogelsang, Ralf; Veit, Heinz; Nemomissa, Sileshi; Negash, Agazi; Nauss, Thomas (2019-08-09). "Middle Stone Age foragers resided in high elevations of the glaciated Bale Mountains, Ethiopia". Science. 365 (6453): 583–587. doi:10.1126/science.aaw8942. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 31395781.
  9. Brandt, Steven A.; Fisher, Erich C.; Hildebrand, Elisabeth A.; Vogelsang, Ralf; Ambrose, Stanley H.; Lesur, Joséphine; Wang, Hong (October 2012). "Early MIS 3 occupation of Mochena Borago Rockshelter, Southwest Ethiopian Highlands: Implications for Late Pleistocene archaeology, paleoenvironments and modern human dispersals". Quaternary International. 274: 38–54. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2012.03.047. ISSN 1040-6182.
  10. Hailu, Tesfaye. (2000). History and Culture of the Argobba: Recent Investigations, In: Annale D'Éthiopie, 16, pp. 195–206, ISBN 2-86877-154-8
  11. Obelisk arrives back in Ethiopia BBC 19 April 2005
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.