Ethiopia

342 Pages·2017·14 MB·English

by  Hiluf Berhe Woldeyohannes

Aksoum (Ethiopia): an inquiry into the state of
documentation and preservation of the archaeological
and heritage sites and monuments
Hiluf Berhe Woldeyohannes
To cite this version:
Hiluf Berhe Woldeyohannes. Aksoum (Ethiopia): an inquiry into the state of documentation and
preservation of the archaeological and heritage sites and monuments. Archaeology and Prehistory.
Université Toulouse le Mirail - Toulouse II, 2015. English. ￿NNT: 2015TOU20126￿. ￿tel-01341824￿
HAL Id: tel-01341824
https://theses.hal.science/tel-01341824
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UniversitéToulouse-JeanJaurès

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AKSUM(ETHIOPIA):ANINQUIRYINTOTHESTATEOFDOCUMENTATIONAND
PRESERVATIONOFTHEARCHAEOLOGICALANDHERITAGESITESAND
MONUMENTS
et discipline ou spécialité
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François-XavierFauvelle,DirecteurdeRecherche,CNRS(TRACES-UT2J)
Jury:
ClaireBosc-Tiessé,ChargéedeRecherche,CNRS(IMAF-UniversitédeParisI),Examinatrice
DeresseAyenachew,AssociateProfessor(DebreBerhanUniversity,Ethiopia),Rapporteur
FlorentHautefeuille,MCFHabilité(TRACES-UT2J),Examinateur
BertrandHirsch,Professeur(UniversitédeParisIPanthéon-Sorbonne),Rapporteur
To My Mother and Rebqa Hiluf

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AKSUM (ETHIOPIA): AN INQUIRY INTO THE STATE OF
DOCUMENTATION AND PRESERVATION OF THE
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HERITAGE SITES AND MONUMENTS
BY:
HILUF BERHE WOLDEYOHANNES

DOCTORAL SCHOOL: TESC (TEMPS, ESPACES, SOCIÉTÉS, ET CULTURES)
SPECIALITY: ARCHAEOLOGY
RESEARCH UNIT: UMR 5608 TRACES (TRAVAUX ET RECHERCHES
ARCHÉOLOGIQUES SUR LES CULTURES, LES ESPACES ET LES
SOCIÉTÉS)

DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
THE DOCTORATE DEGREE IN ARCHAEOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF TOULOUSE
JEAN-JAURÉS

7TH DECEMBER 2015
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ix
DECLARATION
This thesis is my own work, that has not previously been published or presented for a degree in
any other university and that all sources of materials used for the thesis have been duly
acknowledged.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My sincere gratitude goes to the French Embassy in Ethiopia for my PhD study in France. I
enjoyed and benefited from the scholarship. I was provided round-trip air ticket every year. I
thank the French Center for Ethiopian Studies (CFEE) in Addis Abeba, and Toulouse University
for funding for my field work. I would like to extend my gratitude to Aksum University for
guaranteeing my job in the university as an academic staff during my study leave for the last four
years.
My deepest gratitude goes to my research supervisor Dr. Francois-Xavier Fauvelle-Aymar. His
efforts to train me as an archaeologist began in 2009 when the office he directed at CFEE,
sponsored me to participate in an excavation in France from August 15 to September 15, 2009.
He was instrumental in arranging my scholarship for my PhD study and for my admission to
Toulouse University. His comments and suggestions of the thesis drafts throughout my thesis
work were constructive. I was honored and fortunate to have him as a research supervisor.
I would like to express my deep gratitude to my father Berhe Woldeyohannes(priest), my mother
Tinsae Hagos, my brothers Haftom Berhe, Ashenafi Berhe, and Woldeyohannes Berhe, my
sisters Berhane Berhe, Akeza Berhe, Fitaw Berhe and Harfe Berhe for their love and unreserved
financial, material and moral support throughout my studies from bachelor through doctorate
degrees. To be who I am today all began with my family support. To my family, I owe
everything to my life. I cannot thank my parents, brothers and sisters enough. I am also very
much indebted to my grandmother, aunt, uncles, and all my relatives for their overall support.
I am deeply indebted to Professor John McK Camp II and Professor Elizabeth Fisher for their
contributions to my training in field archaeology and cultural heritage management. My
acquaintance with them began in early 2008 at Aksum during their visit to Aksum. They didn‟t
hesitate to invite me to Greece for visit in June 2008. That was the beginning of my travel
outside Ethiopia to see what the other world looks like. They also invited and sponsored me to
visit the US in 2010. Their effort to train me in field archaeology continued in 2011 and 2014 in
Greece. I have benefited immensely from my visits to different sites in Greece and USA, and
archaeological excavations in Thebes and Athens.
xi
To the family of Ato Teklay Mawcha in Aksum, Aradech Desalegn, Melat Teklay, Lidya Teklay
and Michaele Teklay, I owe a lot for their love, hospitality and unreserved support for the last
four years. I cannot thank them enough on paper for everything they did to me. They always
treated me as their brother and father, and best friend. We shared unforgettable experiences.
Many friends and colleagues have contributed throughout my doctoral research. Many thanks to
Elizabeth Fisher, John Mck Camp II, Andrew Henry, Laura Gawlinski, Jacke Phillips and others
for proof-reading and editing different chapters and sections of the thesis, and Bertrand
Poissonnier for his comments and suggestions of part of the draft. My French friends, Francois
Bon, excavation director during my field excavation in 2009 in France and director of our
doctoral school, Marina Redondo, a friend since 2009 and who helped me settle myself and
introduced me to Toulouse during my first arrival in October 2011 for my doctoral studies,
Ethiopian friends in Toulouse Alihayat Ali and Tizita Nesibu for their wholehearted support and
friendship, and other French students and Ethiopian community in Toulouse are warmly
acknowledged.
My colleague at Aksum University, Berhan Teka and, my friend and colleague Bantalem
Tadesse share my heartfelt thanks for their material contribution to my thesis and friendship.
Many thanks to Berhanu Tadesse, my good friend, for his vital help, encouragement and
excellent hospitality. Heartfelt thanks should go to all my friends who encouraged and welcomed
me whenever I needed most their help and advice.
Last, but not least, I would like to express my indebtedness to my colleagues in the Culture and
Tourism Office (my former office), Aksum, for their company and friendship, for their assistance
during my fieldwork to Aksum, and for providing access for me to the archives in the office.

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ABSTRACT
Aksum is the capital of ancient Aksumite Kingdom and one of the most important archaeological
site in Ethiopia. It has been registered on World Heritage List in 1980. Its archaeological and
cultural heritage continues to be a victim of urbanization, development, erosion and deposition.
Despite increased awareness and issues within the field of archaeology, the destruction of
archaeological and cultural heritage sites of Aksum has been staggering. Although considered as
an outstanding universal heritage site, very little focused cultural heritage management has been
undertaken in Aksum. All archaeological excavations conducted thus far in Aksum focused on
unearthing elite tombs and palaces. Both acts of destruction are relevant to current research on
the cultural heritage management aspect in Aksum in general.

This research provides an analysis of the destruction of the archaeological and heritage sites and
monuments in Aksum based on ancient documents, archaeological excavations and field
observation. It examines the extent the sites have been excavated, documented and preserved.
Three sites have been selected for case study for the present research. The research revealed that
the archaeological and heritage sites in Aksum have been deeply affected by urbanization in
general. Evidently, the absence of integrated development planning by the municipality, lack of
professionals in the field of archaeology and lack of public education have contributed
significantly to the loss of the archaeological record. This thesis attempts to evaluate the current
state of documentation and preservation of the cultural heritage resource in Aksum.

Key words: Documentation, preservation, landscape archaeology, cultural heritage management,

excavation, monuments, archaeological and cultural sites.

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LIST OF ACRONYMS

AkU = Aksum University
ARCCH = Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage
BIEA = British Institute in Eastern Africa
CFEE = Centre Français des Etudes Ethiopiennes
CHM = Cultural Heritage Management
DAE = Deutsch Aksum-Expedition
ECHP = Ethiopian Cultural Heritage Project
EEF/AkU = Ethiopian Exploration Foundation/Aksum University
EIA = Ethiopian Institute of Archaeology
ESTDP = Ethiopian Sustainable Tourism Development Project
ETB = Ethiopian Birr
GA = Gudguad Agazen
GIS = Geographical Information Systems
GSF = Gudit Stelae Field
HAMA = Hamburg Archaeological Mission to Axum
ICOMOS = International Council on Monuments and Sites
IUO/BU = Istituto Universitario Orientale/ Boston University
LIL = Learning and Innovation Loan
MSF = Main Stelae Field
MSP = Main Stelae Park
NRSAf = National Regional State of Afar
NRSAm = National Regional State of Amhara
NRSH = National Regional State of Hareri
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