Towns and Villages of an African Empire: Eastern Tigrai Archaeological Project (ETAP) Archaeological Survey 2005-2008

Summary

The Empire of Aksum was one of the earliest and most influential African complex polities, yet remains one of the world’s most scantly documented ancient civilizations. The Eastern Tigrai Archaeological Project (ETAP) surveyed a 196-km2 area between the ancient capital city of Aksum and the Red Sea over four field seasons from 2005-2008. This work documented 137 archaeological sites, including 7 ancient towns larger than 6 hectares, and contributes a substantial body of data on geographies of Aksumite and Pre-Aksumite polities. Spatial analysis of this dataset yields substantial insights regarding site hierarchies, site clustering, trade routes, and associations among sites and environmental variables, including landforms and hydrology. Collectively, ETAP archaeological survey clarifies key issues, and raises a wide range of new questions poised to be addressed by a steadily increasing number of international teams and local scholars working in the region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• An Historical Ecological Approach to the Investigation of Early Social Complexity in the Horn of Africa: First Steps

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15642