Beta Samati: discovery and excavation of an Aksumite town

Abstract

Abstract

An archaeology of conversion? Evidence from Adulis for early Christianity and religious transition in the Horn of Africa

“…Variation in the dates of the latest activity at different locations across the city, however, may indicate that, rather than a sudden and unexpected abandonment, Adulis experienced a process of gradual decline, with some areas remaining in use longer than others. In light of these findings at Adulis and those from the recent excavations at Beta Samati, including the fourth-century church (Harrower et al 2019;Bausi et al 2020), we now have evidence of multiple chronologies for early Christianity within the Aksumite Kingdom. It is plausible that Beta Samati, located near Aksum, may have been directly influenced by the capital, and that the royal court's conversion to Christianity may have had an immediate effect on such surrounding settlements.…”

The genomic and bioclimatic characterization of Ethiopian barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) unveils challenges and opportunities to adapt to a changing climate

“…Historical and socio-economic influences may also have played an import role in shaping the distribution of the diversity on the landscape. Barley cultivation in the northern part of Ethiopia goes back to the Aksumites, one of the earliest civilizations in Horn of Africa (Harrower et al, 2019). Recent archeological evidence testifies and even earlier use of this crop in the region which corresponds to modern Tigray (D’Andrea, Perry, Nixon-Darcus, Fahmy, & Attia, 2018).…”

The archaeology of complexity and cosmopolitanism in medieval Ethiopia: an introduction

“…Aksumite-period churches have also been surveyed, and excavations completed at, for example, Maryam Tsion, Beta Giyorgis, Wuchate Golo, Melazo and Enda Kaleb in Aksum and its surrounding region, as well as at Yeha (see Phillipson 2009Phillipson : 32-44, 2012 (Figure 1). Most recently, a fourth-century basilica of tripartite Syriac plan has been excavated at Beta Samati in northern Tigray, with an assemblage of 49 ceramic bucrania and zoomorphic figurines from the church suggesting the mixing of early Christian and Indigenous religious elements (Harrower et al 2019). Although medieval Ethiopian monasticism has not received the same archaeological attention as contemporaneous traditions in Nubia and Egypt (Finneran 2005(Finneran : 24, 2012a, limited research suggests connectivity rather than isolation.…”

“…Most recently, a fourth-century basilica of tripartite Syriac plan has been excavated at Beta Samati in northern Tigray, with an assemblage of 49 ceramic bucrania and zoomorphic figurines from the church suggesting the mixing of early Christian and Indigenous religious elements (Harrower et al . 2019). Although medieval Ethiopian monasticism has not received the same archaeological attention as contemporaneous traditions in Nubia and Egypt (Finneran 2005: 24, 2012a: 252), limited research suggests connectivity rather than isolation.…”